Renegades
by Emilia Christine
Summary: For Jacqueline Lewis, being an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. has become a normal job in her eyes. But when the body of Steve Rogers is discovered, the event sets her on an alternate course, forever binding the soldier and agent together. current setting: the winter soldier. first installment
1. Part I: I

Hello everyone! Alright, so this is my first Marvel fic, so please bear with me as I familiarize myself with writing this universe and the characters. So, this is a Steve/OC story that I have been planning for a while and I know the description kinda sucks, so I'll give some more info. Renegades will be split into three books. This story will cover _The Avengers through The Winter Soldier_. The second book will cover _Age of Ultron through Civil War._ The third book will cover _pre and post-Infinity War_. If you have any questions you can always pm me on here or message me on the story's tumblr blog, _renegadesfanfic_.

 **Rating:** T for basics: violence, romance and language (will become more frequent)

 **Pairings:** major - Steve/OC, minor - possible OC/OC (very little of this, just hints; one sided), Natasha/Bruce, Tony/Pepper, possible Sharon/OC

 **Summary:** Jacqueline Lewis is an agent at S.H.I.E.L.D., and she is tasked with monitoring Steve Rogers after his body is discovered. After he wakes up, she is tasked to help him adjust to living in a whole new time period. Through battling aliens, espionage, and a psychotic A.I., the agent and soldier will be forever entwined.

 **Warnings: mild violence, language, romance and supporting character suffers from disease (Alzheimer's). I will be putting warnings at the start of each part.**

* * *

 _ **Renegade**_

 **n.** a person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of principles.

* * *

 _New York City, New York, 2012_

…

"How is he doing?"

Jacqueline's eyes scanned the monitors, the image of a sleeping Steve Rogers was the only constant feed on the screen. It was the image she had been viewing for the past few weeks. Fury was the one who put her on this.

"He's still doing good. Vitals are fine. It's just all about waiting for him to wake up."

The agent nodded, her eyes still glued to the screen.

It had been a long few weeks. The time that was spent just staring at screens, being met with nothing different. The day that Steve's body was brought back was filled with calm curiosity. Everyone knew who was being brought to headquarters and the building was alive with chatter. Almost seventy years had passed since Rogers disappeared. Howard Stark had conducted a search to retrieve his body, coming up with everything except the body. It wasn't until two years ago, Fury had authorized another search for the Captain's body and it was a success. Jacqueline could recall the moment she heard the news. Fury had been briefing her about the progress in the search when Coulson called.

 _"They found him."_

Jacqueline felt like she was short of breath. They actually found him. She didn't necessarily know what they would find. It was going to go two ways: they find the body, or they don't. The finding, however, left her a little confused. Her reaction to the fact that the old mystery surrounding his disappearance had finally been answered, was bland. She didn't know what to think. Everyone around her was relieved, happy even. Perhaps, it was just the shock that he was actually found that kept her from feeling anything else. This was a man who Jacqueline only heard stories about. She only knew the myth that was Steve Rogers. The image of him that had been forever immortalized by the people. That is what she grew up with. Rumors about what happened to him was a constant topic she was exposed to.

It was only when she saw his body upon its arrival, did it finally sink in. This was Steve Rogers, Captain America. The man that the entire country had deemed a hero and his disappearance mourned. He became larger than life, which is what America was good at. Martyring beloved figures into immortality. But, he wasn't dead. He was very much alive, having only been preserved in the ice. An extreme case of hibernation for a human. Fury immediately had him interred in a controlled setting. A room that was built to take on a 1940's environment, so that when he did wake up, it would be easier for them to give the information.

Eventually, Jacqueline was put into a new position. Fury wanted her to keep an eye on him, along with a team who were stationed to monitor him around the clock. She was there to check in periodically and relay the information over to Fury. Each time she went to check on him the feeling of anticipation became more prominent. Would he really wake up? Or is he just going to remain in a constant sleep? She didn't know which would be best.

A silent breath emitted from the agent. Perhaps the latter would be best. If he were to wake up, he would have to acquaint himself with an entirely new time. Everything is different. She can't imagine how confusing and scary it would be to wake up in a world he doesn't recognize.

"Lewis?"

Jacqueline was startled out of her thoughts and focused her attention on Briggs who was looking at her. "Yeah?"

He indicated on the screen and shrugged, "There isn't much for you to see here."

"Right, sorry." She scanned the screens one more time and then tapped him on the shoulder. She was hoping that there would be something else. That if she just stared at the screen a little longer he would wake up. "If there is any change, just notify me, alright?"

"Got it."

Without skipping a beat, Jacqueline exited the monitoring room and quietly made her way down the hallway. This particular hallway was empty, as it should be. Only a few select people were allowed down this way. Jacqueline is one of them. It was quiet, which she was used to on her trips down here. And quiet was something that was slowly becoming a foreign idea for her. Her life has always had some form of chaos that swirled around her. Getting a job at S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't really help that aspect. Sometimes, she just longed for peace and quiet. Those moments were a rarity, walking down this hallway was one of those times.

The moment was soon dismissed. After swiping her I.D., she stepped out into the main lobby of the building. The area was huge, the ceilings were towering at a high level, people were walking or standing in groups talking, their voices created a cacophony of noises that was instantly familiar to her. It only reminded her of S.H.I.E.L.D. Being at home, it was quiet and peaceful, work was always the noisy aspect of her life.

Jacqueline was a person who harbored the ability to compartmentalize. There was her personal life and then her work life. She tries to keep them from bleeding into one another and in their individual sections. It doesn't always work. And when it doesn't it's her work life that tends to take over everything. But when someone is working as an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D., it's not something that can be easily avoided. It was an aspect of this job she learned to accept and to live with. Not everything was going to go accordingly. If it did then that would just make life stale.

She was venturing towards the employee lounge for much-needed caffeine. Sleep wasn't something she had been getting the past week or so. Nothing in her personal life was making her sleep patterns abnormal, this was something that happens a couple of times every few months. She just wouldn't be able to sleep. It would last for a couple of weeks before getting back to its regular schedule. Alex, one of her co-workers, suggested getting a prescription for sleeping pills to which she immediately rejected. She didn't need pills. In a couple of days or so, it should all go back to normal.

"Jackie!" Speaking of the devil. Jacqueline didn't stop walking, only allowed herself to glance over at the agent as he caught up with her.

He took one glance at her and let out a hum. "Well, don't you look exhausted."

 _Thanks for that_ , she thought, "Why do you think I'm heading to the lounge?"

"Ah, yes, your daily dose of caffeine, how could I forget?"

"I don't drink that much caffeine." Her defense was weak because it wasn't the truth. Jacqueline could go through four or five cups. Sometimes even more. That's how everyone knew her sleep schedule was out of sync. But, Alex was the only one who was able to tease her about it.

The weak rebuttal only made him smile, the smile that could make other women swoon over him. She noticed it every time she was with him. Whether they were at headquarters or out at other locations, women always had to take a second look at him. Jacqueline could only meet this with an eye roll, but she could see why they would. He wasn't that bad looking; his dark brown hair was always kept neatly trimmed and his deep blue eyes made it feel like he could read your thoughts and that bright smile. Yeah, he was eye candy for some.

"How's the captain?"

Alex made no remark until they were in the lobby. Perhaps he was debating with himself about whether he should ask her about it. Watching over someone who was sleeping, wasn't exactly the most exciting thing to be doing.

Reaching for a Styrofoam cup, Jacqueline scoffed while pouring out the coffee, "How do you think? He's been asleep since they brought him back. There has been no serious progress in his condition."

"That is until he wakes up." Alex clarified, pouring himself a cup as well.

She pointed a finger at him as she took a drink, "That's the key word right there, until."

The way she said it, made Alex a little confused. She sounded doubtful. "You don't think he's going to wake up?"

"It doesn't matter what I think," she dusted off some lint that was left on her blazer, "I just need to check up on him every so often and report it back to Fury." She honestly didn't know why Fury insisted on it. Every day, she reported the exact same thing and he takes the information as if it was new or useful. Every once in a while Jacqueline thought that maybe he was just testing her. But, no.

Her phone began to vibrate.

Pulling it out from her pocket, her eyebrows raised at the name and Alex was allowed a quick glance at the screen, it was Fury. "You might want to answer it." Alex sounded like he thought she wasn't going to.

"I know," Jacqueline stepped away and answered the call, "Yes, sir."

 _"Lewis, how's the captain?"_

"Fine, as usual, sir, his vitals are good, everything is stable."

 _"You don't sound so enthusiastic, Lewis."_

Jacqueline shrugged her shoulders, "With all due respect sir, it's been the same report since he arrived in New York. Nothing has changed."

 _"Keep a close watch him, Lewis. That's what I assigned you to do."_

Nodding silently, she answered, "Yes, sir."

 _"I'm back at headquarters now for a briefing. Afterward, I need to speak with you about Rogers."_

At this, Jacqueline shifted in her stance; shoulders leveled out and back straightened. "Is there something wrong?"

 _"It's not a serious matter, Lewis. Just something that we need to discuss."_

"Very well," she wasn't going to get anything else out of him. "I'll let you know if there is any change in his condition."

 _"Understood."_

At that, Jacqueline pulled the phone away and ended the call. He needed to talk to her about Rogers. What else is there for her to know? He clearly said that it wasn't anything serious, that should give her some kind of relief. But, it still didn't give her any kind of answers.

"Is everything alright?"

Alex's question snapped Jacqueline back into reality. She immediately turned around and stashed the phone back into her pocket. "Yeah. Fury is here for a briefing." She cut the answer short, he didn't need to know the other half of their short conversation.

"Briefing," he repeated the word and then eyes widened with realization. "Shit." He quickly discarded his coffee cup, "I need to be there." On his way towards the door, he turned to look back at Jacqueline, "make sure you drink all of that."

She raised her cup up to him in affirmation, "You don't need to tell me twice. Go or you won't make it."

Flashing his signature smile, Alex pulled open the door and slipped out. Jacqueline was left alone, to drink the rest of her coffee and to…sit in silence. She had no briefings to attend and she was supposed to check on Steve in an hour or so. She had time to kill. Vouching for staying in here, she pulled out a seat at one of the tables intent on finishing her coffee. She was going to need all the caffeine she could obtain.

…

An hour had passed. Drinking her coffee, and allowing herself to have a moment to relax did wonders for her. Granted she still felt tired, but there was more energy flowing through her veins. No doubt that it came from all that caffeine. Regardless, stepping out of the lounge, she was ready. Next stop, checking back in with Steve's progress. She didn't expect there to be anything new. If there was, she would have been notified.

Just as the thought passed, Jacqueline could feel her phone going off in her pocket. Pausing entirely, Jacqueline pulled out her phone and answered the call. "Yeah?"

 _"Lewis? This is Briggs."_

"Briggs, has there been any change in Rogers' condition?"

Silence.

That was kind of odd. Jacqueline was just standing in the middle of the main lobby, with the phone up to her ear. The other agents probably thought it was a little strange seeing her like that. Realizing this, she stepped over towards the wall, lessening the attention she was receiving. "Hello?"

This time she could hear a small commotion ensuing in the background, yelling to be exact. "Briggs?"

Still nothing.

Jacqueline pursed her lips in frustration. "Briggs!" She tried again and she heard the phone being fumbled around with on the other end. "Briggs…"

 _"He's awake Lewis! Rogers is awake! He broke out and is headed towards the main lobby!"_

The words didn't register at first. She was silent, standing near the wall, unable to form sentences. She couldn't answer him. Briggs calling out her name on the other end didn't snap her out of it. He was awake. He's heading for the main lobby.

As if on cue, she looked to her left and there he was, Steve Rogers, wearing a simple white t-shirt and beige cargo pants. Hair slightly disheveled and every part of him was tense. Jacqueline recognized it right away. The way he was moving and holding himself. He was scared. Steve looked wildly around him and turned to face directly at Jacqueline and their eyes locked on each other.

Jacqueline stepped away from the wall, her hand that was still grasping the phone slowly went limp by her side. He was awake. Fully alive in front of her. Everything around her slowed down, her body went numb with shock, and her mind was not able to fully process what was currently happening. Any and all stories she had heard about Steve Rogers were deemed unimportant. Like Peggy always told Jacqueline, focus on the actual man, not the myth. The man was standing right in front of her. He wasn't a myth, he was real.

 _All agents! Code 13! All agents, code 13!_

The words were nothing but low, garbled noises when she first heard them. Then, it gradually got louder, more clear until they were fully ringing in her ear. That was when she felt it. The adrenaline searing through her veins. It brought all of her sense back to life. She regained the use of her legs and started running after him.

"Captain Rogers!"

That didn't have the desired effect. Not only was she starting to go after him, all the other agents now had their eyes set on him. He turned and ran.

"Captain Rogers! Wait!" Jacqueline called out again, desperate to get him to stop and trying her best to stay ahead of the group that was running with her.

She chased him all the way towards the entrance, calling his name at the same time, but stopped once she realized where he was heading. Immediately, she turned around and found a group of security personnel. "Call Fury! And get the cars out there now! He's heading towards Times Square! Go!"

As the personnel took off, Jacqueline pushed her way through the crowd, everyone was all over the place. She had to go find out what exactly happened. What made Steve tick? Finally getting to a clear area, her phone began to go off, looking down she saw that it was Fury. Right on time.

"Yes, sir." She was quick to answer this call.

 _"What happened?"_

She was short of breath from her run, she had to brace a hand against the wall to catch her breath. "I have no idea; I'm heading back there now to see what happened."

 _"I'm heading out towards Times Square now, we'll get him back. I'll touch back soon."_

"Understood."

Jacqueline stowed away the phone back into her pocket and ran for the metal doors that led to the monitoring station. After swiping her card, she pushed open the doors and sprinted down the rest of the hallway. Instead of going straight to the monitoring room, the door to Steve's 'room' was open and she skidded to a halt. Several people were inside, the wall was busted with a gigantic hole that was ever so present and two guards were being attended to.

"Briggs." The guard turned, attention was on her, waiting for either instruction or some kind of scolding. But, Jacqueline only met him with one question. "What the hell happened?"

"He woke up." Jacqueline threw a look at him, I know he woke up, were the unsaid words. He quickly noticed this and scrambled for the right explanation. "Agent Howard was the one who went in to speak with him." Briggs pointed at the women dressed in 1940's attire.

Jacqueline wasted no time. She quickly approached her, the agent seemed to be a little shaken by all that had just happened. Made sense. "Agent Howard, I need you to tell me what happened."

"He knew there was something wrong."

That was straight to the point. "What do you mean?"

"The game that we were broadcasting on the radio, he was at that game."

Shit.

Jacqueline's eyes closed, and her head hung down. Something that was so simple, and minimal was what blew the cover right off. That was a detail they didn't even think to consider. It was such a long stretch as well. Who knew that the game they would be playing just happened to be the same game he attended? Still, it should have at least crossed her mind.

"Okay," she breathed out and ran a hand through her brown hair. "Then what made him create that?" She pointed at the huge hole in the wall.

"I called in for the security when he got too close. I didn't know what he was going to do."

Jacqueline nodded, surveying the damage, "he was probably scared, top that off with confused as well."

"It was nothing too serious, Lewis."

"It may not be that serious, but we were hoping to do all of this smoothly." The three of them stood in silence, hearing only the voices of the people checking the two guards that were unconscious. Finally, Jacqueline cleared her throat. "Okay, well, just make sure this place gets cleaned up, and make sure those two are alright."

"Got it, Lewis."

She made a hasty exit. What a day this has been.

Weeks of monitoring Steve has finally been 'paid' off in a sense. Everyone was anticipating when he would wake up, it was the subject of small chatter among the other agents. Now, not only did he wake up, but he essentially broke out. She was fairly certain that it wasn't just her who was surprised at this. Everyone was expecting a smooth transition when it came to relaying the information to Rogers. That clearly didn't happen, since all of the agents answered to a code 13. Jacqueline couldn't really be angry about it or blame him. If she were in his position, she would flip shit as well.

The look on his face when their eyes met, was still so clear. Panic, confusion, fear. This was a man that she grew up hearing about. All of the stories that were passed around. She grew up with the martyred image of Steve Rogers, the image that was held on such a high pedestal. Peggy was her source of information about him. About who he really was and what he was like. Always look at the man, not the myth. Of course, that was a little hard for Jacqueline to do. When all that she was surrounded by was nothing, but a representation of him. But, she had her first experience with him. She stared him directly in the eyes and she only saw a man—nothing more. A man who was living in a time that had moved on without him.

Where does he go from here?

Halfway down the hallway, Fury called Jacqueline, telling her that they had found Steve and they were bringing him back to headquarters. At least Fury was able to calm him down.

 _"Make sure one of the meeting rooms is cleared. Be there in ten minutes with his file."_

"Yes, sir."

* * *

 **A/N:** This was pretty short, but it was only the introduction! I hope you all enjoyed it! A review would be greatly appreciated!

 _(edited 10/22/18)_


	2. Part I: II

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel.**

* * *

She checked her watch. Right on time.

Getting Steve's file was a little hectic. Everyone was still gathering themselves after Rogers escaped and some of them got into Jacqueline's way. Alex didn't make it any better. He was asking questions, completely distracting her from getting to the conference room. Evidently, she had to tell Alex to leave her the hell alone, not exactly in those words, but he got the memo.

Reaching the hallway towards the conference room, her arm clutched Steve's file closer to her chest. She felt—nervous. Why did she feel nervous? She was just going to relay information to Steve it wasn't that big of a deal. Only one thing. _It was Steve Rogers_. She had spent the past few weeks watching him sleep on screen monitors. Not once did she ever think about an eventual meeting between them. That stare down they had in the lobby didn't count. At least in her book, it didn't count.

 _Pull yourself together._

She stopped right in front of the conference room door with a security guard was standing next to it. And with a nod, he opened the door granting her access to the room. It was nicely lit, the long mahogany table was still shiny, this room hadn't been used yet. At the far end of the table, Steve was sitting in the head chair with Fury standing a few inches away from him, and a guard was standing behind Steve. Jacqueline remained in her spot—in front of the door, taking in the sight of Steve Rogers. This time, she was able to get a real good look at him, without having the disadvantage of running after him.

It wasn't until Fury cleared his throat did Jacqueline snap herself out of her daze. She quickly apologized and walked over until she was standing behind Fury, making sure they still had room between them. But as she placed the folder on the table, she noticed that Steve was simply staring at her. The look of recognition filtered from his eyes.

"You," he began but stopped before finishing. Jacqueline knew what he was talking about.

"Yes. We saw each other in the lobby before you escaped the building."

Steve nodded, his eyes scanning over her features for a brief moment.

"Cap," Fury began, "this is Agent Lewis. She was head of the team who was to monitor you upon your arrival in New York."

Both Jacqueline and Steve leaned forward, their hands entwining in a firm shake.

"It's a great honor to finally meet you, Captain Rogers." She waited until he was settled back into his seat, before continuing. "I would just like to apologize for what happened back there. That wasn't how we planned on revealing all of this to you."

"The game gave it away."

The words were so mundane, it made him sound so lost and confused, which made perfect sense in this case. Jacqueline hummed at her recollection of that small detail she never thought of. "It did, didn't it?"

He raised an eyebrow and gazed up at her, "You were tasked with watching me when I was brought here?"

"That's correct."

He hummed and stared at his hand, which was tapping against the table, "That must have been dull."

"I'm sorry?"

His gaze was back on her and she could feel a breath hitch in her throat. She could see all of his emotions through his eyes. Fear, confusion, sadness. Yet, his eyes were gentle. How could he feel a cocktail of these emotions and retain this kind of image? "Watching me sleep," he clarified. "That couldn't have been the most exciting thing."

Jacqueline smiled, not taking care of how much of it was showing. "It was part of my job."

Silence is what greeted them next. Fury and Jacqueline didn't try to push Steve into a conversation. They were allowing the reality of Steve's situation to sink in. He needed every second to grasp what was happening to him.

"Seventy years," he finally said, "I've been asleep for seventy years."

"That's correct, Cap."

"What happened to me?"

Fury glanced back at Jacqueline, giving her the silent cue to which she nodded in affirmation. She pulled out a chair and sat across from Steve. "Let's start off simple, what's the last thing you remember?" She was going to start off easy.

His brows knitted in thought, fragments of his memories were coming back. "I was piloting the plane; it was heading for New York. The Tesseract was on board the plane, but it burned through the floor and fell into the ocean."

Jacqueline remained quiet, her lips pursed together, thinking that it must be difficult for him to recollect all of these memories.

"It was going too fast; I couldn't think of a plan to stop it in time. I had to make a quick decision—crash the ship into the Arctic. And that's what I did."

She swallowed hard. "And that's the last thing you remember?"

Steve nodded.

"You crashed the ship into the Arctic, but it didn't kill you. Your body was only preserved."

One thing suddenly came to Steve's thoughts. "I was asleep for seventy years and only now someone decided to just start looking for me?"

"No," Jacqueline pushed over the file to him. "Howard Stark, I'm sure you remember him. After the crash, he sent out multiple teams to start searches to recover your body. But he came up empty-handed, each time."

God, what this must have felt like for Steve? Hearing that his friends searched for him, after his disappearance and never found him. How many times did they search? How much of their time did they spend? Only to have their hopes violently crushed when they never found him.

"The searches eventually stopped." She studied him carefully. He was looking through the file, jaw hardened as he read the papers. If there was any indication that he would break, he was doing a damn good job of hiding it.

"Everyone just moved on." He solemnly offered.

A swell of sympathy washed over her. No one, not her, or Fury, could find any kind of relation to his situation. She wanted to say something, anything that could give him some comfort, but what? Telling him, I understand, would be incredibly misleading. She had no idea of what this must feel like. She found it hard to find the right words to continue on with. The last thing that Jacqueline wanted to do was upset him anymore. It was almost like walking on eggshells around him.

"All searches ceased until Fury authorized another search about two years ago," Steve abandoned the file and gave Jacqueline his full attention. "We were successful after a changing in the landscape caught our attention. A team was dispatched to Greenland, where they discovered The Valkyrie. Upon inspecting the ship, they found your body inside, preserved and very much alive."

"Who is they? What is this place, then?"

"SHIELD," Fury answered. "We're an agency that is tasked with maintaining global security, making sure that everyone is protected. Stark, Phillips, and Carter founded this agency shortly after the war ended."

The mentioning of Carter captured Steve's attention. He sat up in his seat, "Carter. Peggy Carter, right?"

"Yes."

Teeth bit down on her lip as Jacqueline surveyed Steve's reaction. Plain shock. Peggy was able to move forward with the time. She helped create a new organization and got to live out her life, while Steve was missing somewhere in the Arctic. The two didn't go together. "That means we're on your side, Captain Rogers." Jacqueline threw in another assurance.

Jacqueline thought that Fury would hold back on the subject of Peggy. Not indefinitely, but until it was the right time to mention it. However, Jacqueline didn't know how to judge when was the right time with this situation. Some might think giving Steve all the information up front would be best. Why hold back? That wasn't a good idea. Those who think that aren't taking into consideration how well Steve would be able to process it all. She had spoken with Fury while Steve was still asleep. They would slowly feed him the information, bit by bit.

Steve had gone quiet, mulling over Fury's words. His attention was back on the abandoned file in front of him. "Seventy years," he repeated. "I've been gone for that long. What happened?"

"What do you mean?" Jacqueline asked.

"There's seventy years worth of history that I missed out on, what happened?"

Fury laced his hands together behind his back and approached Steve, "That will have to be saved for another time Cap. Right now I think you should take time to process the information we have already given you. It's a lot to take in."

Jacqueline gave her own approval when her eyes met Steve's. This information was enough for now. Pouring everything on him at once would just overwhelm him and that's not what they wanted. "What now?"

"Now, we will be sending you to a secure location. Give you some time to recuperate. Tonight, you'll stay in a temporary place until we're ready to move you. It shouldn't take more than a few days to get it ready."

Steve didn't answer Fury, he sat in his seat, completely still, gaze fixed on the table. Fury waited a moment before asking, "Is there anything else we can do for you cap?"

Steve took time to consider. He had a lot he wanted to ask, there was a lot that still didn't make sense to him. Some of the questions he had might not even have answers. All he could think about was, why didn't the crash just kill him? If it did, he wouldn't have to be here, dealing with all of this.

He shook his head. Jacqueline couldn't help but noticed how tired he looked. Strange, since he's been asleep for so long. It was just the weight of all of this that was crushing him. The bitter reality of it all. It was a hard pill to swallow.

Fury nodded at the guard, signaling for Steve to be escorted out of the room. Getting up from his seat, Steve made no hassle about it. He was quiet, not wanting to say anything, he just wanted time on his own. But, Jacqueline couldn't help herself.

"Captain Rogers," she stood up from her seat and turned, waiting for Steve to look at her. For a split moment, when his eyes settled on her, she forgot what she was going to say. He was starting to have that effect on her. Fast thinking was required at that moment. "I know that all of this must be very difficult and confusing for you. I would like for you to know that we will be doing whatever we can to help you."

He didn't express his appreciation with words. Only a small nod. The gratitude, however faint, was visible. He wasn't in a position to deny help, no matter what form it came in. He was going to need as much as possible.

When the door finally closed, Jacqueline and Fury were left alone in the conference room. Rubbing the back of her neck, she turned back to Fury and paused at the look he was giving her. "What?"

"Those were some reassuring words you gave him."

She merely shrugged off his statement. "He needed it." Crossing her arms over her chest, she leaned against the table. "You're sending him to the safe house in Vancouver, aren't you?"

"It's the closest one to us." He pointed out, which made Jacqueline nod. "That also reminds me, I mentioned earlier that I needed to talk to you about Rogers."

Finally, she was going to be getting a proper answer from him. "I'm sending you with him, to Vancouver."

That wasn't what she was expecting to hear. Jacqueline merely blinked at his words, unable to process them in their entirety. "I'm sorry, sir. You're sending me up to Vancouver with Rogers?"

"That is what I said." Fury saw her reaction: brows furrowed and lips slightly parted. "Is there something wrong, Lewis?"

"Sir, this is the 21st century."

Fury nodded with an obvious look on his face. "Yes."

"He doesn't know anyone in this time, except for Peggy, but that's different. I don't think sending him away to a safe house with a complete stranger is going to make the situation any better."

"You told him that we would do anything to help him."

Her eyes widened slightly, "I said that we would do anything to help him."

"That's why I'm sending you up there with him. This is a different time for him, he's going to need someone to guide him. Show him the strings of how things are done nowadays."

"I don't think I'm the one for it."

"You already have experience watching him."

 _Oh, what a clever statement, Fury._ "He was sleeping the entire time, that's a whole different story."

"You two have already made acquaintances. Besides, we need someone uniquely qualified to keep an eye on him for a while."

Need someone to keep an eye on him? She wasn't going to spy on Rogers, the poor guy doesn't need some random agent snooping around him. "Then why don't you set him up in an apartment and station an agent across from him." _I just contradicted myself,_ she bitterly thought.

"Who says I won't do that?"

She didn't like this. Being up at a safe house with Steve, just the two of them, it had the words 'not a good idea' written all over it. "The safe house is only temporary, a week, maybe a little longer," Fury added when he saw that she was garnering a new argument. "You just need to keep an eye on him. Give him a helping hand. I'm sure he would appreciate it."

"I don't know, sir." A hand washed down her face, both in exhaustion and contemplation.

"It's not a vacation, Lewis. This is an order I'm giving you, it's part of your job. I made you head of the team to watch him. As head of the team, you need to do this. I don't trust anyone more than you to handle Rogers' recuperation."

He pulled that card, which didn't surprise her. He was right. This was her job, Fury had given her a task and she needed to follow through with it. She was going to be spending some awkward time with Steve Rogers. God, this wasn't going to end well.

Finally, Jacqueline nodded and cleared her throat, "Alright. I'll take Rogers up to the safe house."

"Good." Fury turned and walked towards the door, "I think you should brush up on your knowledge of American history."

* * *

The walk up the pathway of her parent's home was short. The neighborhood was starting to grow dark, the sun was just starting to dip behind the horizon. Instead of going straight to her apartment, she vouched for visiting her mom and dad. After the day she's had, she could use some of that family time.

She used the spare key her mother had given her to unlock the door and walked in. The scent of apples and cinnamon was the first thing that greeted her. It made her smile. That had always been her mother's favorite candle scent and it was the only candle that was used in their home. That smell would be the first thing Jacqueline always thought of when she thought about home.

Slipping her shoes off, she slipped the key into her pocket and called out, "Mom!"

The living room was the first room that anyone saw when visiting, then a hallway that led to the kitchen and a staircase that led upstairs. Everything was perfectly decorated. Her mother's favorite artwork covered the walls and the fireplace mantle in the living room was overflowing with family photos. Jacqueline learned at a young age that her mom had a knack for decorating.

"Mom!" She tried calling out again and could hear dishes clinking in the kitchen, then footsteps.

The familiar face of her mother appeared in the kitchen entryway. The smile that was quick to appear lit up her eyes and Jacqueline smiled at the image of her mom. Her blonde hair, which now had hints of grey, was pulled back in a messy bun and her face, which was showing age, still looked young and vital. Jacqueline always told her mom that she still looked so young. That kind of declaration was always answered with a doubtful eye roll; it was all in good nature. Her mother just couldn't take the compliment.

The older woman sauntered out of the kitchen and engulfed her daughter in a bone-crushing hug. "Long day at work?"

"You have no idea, mom."

Kathleen gave her daughter another loving squeeze before releasing her hold around Jacqueline. Out of habit, she held her daughter's face in her hands and caressed her cheek with her thumbs. "Well, I'm glad you came by."

Music filtered out from a room upstairs, both their eyes followed up in the direction of the source. It was her father.

"How is he?"

Kathleen helped Jacqueline out of her jacket and fumbled with the article of clothing. "He has his good days and his bad days," she cleared her throat and looked up at Jacqueline, "today wasn't really his best, but he managed."

Jacqueline didn't try to hide her disappointment. Even though this was always the answer her mother gave, it still was disheartening. It didn't seem like he was getting any better. "It's probably a little far reaching to think he'll get any better."

Kathleen only hummed at her words. Clearly, she didn't want to have this conversation. At least, not today. She sniffled and flashed another smile, "Are you hungry? I was just putting away some leftovers."

Following in suit, Jacqueline smiled and nodded at her mother's question, "I'm starving."

"I'll go and make you a plate then."

"Okay, um," Jacqueline pursed her lips together and looked towards the stairs, "I'm gonna go and see dad."

Kathleen disappeared into the kitchen as Jacqueline slowly ascended the staircase. Reaching the top, she turned down the hallway and walked towards her parent's bedroom, where the music was coming from. The closer she got, the clearer it became and she recognized what her father was listening to. It was the Sam Cooke album that she was all too familiar with.

She pushed the door, which was slightly ajar, all the way open. Her father was sitting in his favorite leather lounge chair. A huge photo album was resting in his lap and the music was now filtering out into the hallway.

Stepping in, she waited until she was a little closer before saying anything. "Dad?"

John's attention was jolted from the album and found its way on her. Again, seeing the way her father smiled when he saw her made her resort back to feeling like a kid again.

"Jackie," he raised his hand out and grasped hold of hers, "visiting from the academy again? How is it?"

Jacqueline's lips stretched into a thin smile. With his hand still in hers, she maneuvered herself until she was sitting on the chair across from him. "I'm not at the academy anymore, dad. I'm working at SHIELD now, remember?"

John's face froze as the information began to re-familiarize itself in his mind. Finally, he gave a small laugh, "Of course."

Alzheimer's. Jacqueline never thought that either of her parents would be given this diagnosis. She had been somewhat familiar with the disease. After Sharon told her that Peggy had been diagnosed, it was through her that Jacqueline learned a fair amount about the disease. When she was told that her father had it, the news was like a punch in the stomach. She learned everything she needed and yet, it still didn't prepare her for what was to come.

Looking over at the nightstand, a few prescription bottles were present, one was empty while the other must have been brand new. Even the medication couldn't effectively help him. This disease was harsh and unforgiving.

"You remember when we went on this trip," John pointed at one of the photos that were of him and Jacqueline fishing at a lake, "it was at Cayuga Lake."

Jacqueline glanced down at the photo, a sad frown etched in her features. "It was actually at Oneida."

"Oh, right." Such a simple statement with so much behind it. Failure to remember even the simplest memory always made his stomach drop.

As the radio switched to the next song, Jacqueline took note of the change and decided to drive the conversation elsewhere, "You're listening to Sam Cooke again."

John hummed at his own approval of the musician. "You can't go wrong with a Sam Cooke album."

She couldn't argue with that. This album was one she remembers listening to constantly growing up. And it held a lot of sentiment to it. John always told her the story of how he danced to one of Cooke's song during his first date with Kathleen. Unfortunately, John's memories of that night have slowly slipped away from him. It was like that with almost everything. He would only get quick flashes of those memories when someone brought it up. Even then, he couldn't relish in them for long.

"How do you feel, Dad?"

"Me?" He closed the photo album, keeping it in his lap. "I'm fine."

Jacqueline tilted her head to the side, "Mom told me that you didn't really have a good day today."

"Good days are rare, Jackie." He tenderly patted her hand, which was still enclosed around his. "I'm fine. I promise."

She cringed, faintly. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Dad."

"Have I ever let you down on a promise?"

"This is completely different." Jacqueline tightened her grip on his hand, almost like she was afraid of letting go. "I just don't want to lose you."

"Who said that I was going anywhere?"

He was trying to keep the mood light; John was known for that. He didn't like seeing people wallowing in sadness. But right now, Jacqueline didn't know if she was appreciating his attempt. She was being serious and sometimes felt that her father didn't know how to shut down that part of him. Back then, while working as an agent for SHIELD, along with her mother, he was always known for retaining an almost boisterous side.

"Dad, I'm serious,"

"Jackie." John gave her a stern glance and held her hand between both of his. "I'm not going anywhere."

…

John had grown tired, something that came really easily to him nowadays, and Jacqueline helped him to bed. The physical condition of her father hasn't necessarily diminished as much, but Jacqueline still thought of him as being frail. And she knows how much that must frustrate him, but she couldn't help it. Her mother was in the same boat as her, they were just worried about him. They wanted to do whatever they can to make him feel comfortable. To make him feel better, especially since there is no way for them to cure it. She wanted it gone, the disease. She wanted it to disappear and she wanted her dad back. She wanted him back so badly.

When Jacqueline walked into the kitchen, a plate of lasagna was already set up for her, with a side of garlic bread. The smell of the food infused a sense of warmth to stream throughout her body. There are so many things that are attributed to her childhood: food being the biggest thing. Her mother had made some amazing dishes while she was growing up. It was hard for Jacqueline to pick her favorite dish, although, the lasagna was always up there.

Kathleen was finishing up with cleaning the kitchen when she saw Jacqueline enter. "Your plate is ready."

There was no time to waste. Jacqueline was starving and after the day she's had, a nice meal will do wonders for her. She took a seat at the table and took in a huge bite, the taste never changes. One of the perks to her mother's dishes, she never changes the recipe.

"You know, I have tried my hand at making your lasagna," Jacqueline shook her head, "it never comes out as good as yours."

"Do you follow the recipe that I gave you?"

"Of course I do," she portioned out another bite, "I'm just not as gifted as you when it comes to cooking."

"Oh, that's not true," Kathleen poured out two glasses of wine and joined her daughter at the table, "you make a really good mac and cheese."

Jacqueline gave her mother a look, chewing vigorously, "That's probably the easiest dish anyone can make."

"Oh, come on, Jackie you don't give yourself enough credit." She offered one of the glasses to her. "You've made some amazing dishes."

Jacqueline hummed and swallowed the food that was in her mouth. "Still, I prefer your cooking over mine."

"I'm not so sure you've been doing a lot of cooking lately," Kathleen narrowed her eyes at Jacqueline, "work seems to be beating you down recently."

"It's a lot of things and it's also not just work." The look Jacqueline gave her mother hinted at the subject of her father.

"Jackie, I don't want to get into this."

"We have to." Dropping her fork, she leaned closer to her mother, "Dad's memory is slowly getting worse. We can't just keep him here; he's going to need real professional help. Around the clock help."

"You want to put him in a home?"

No, Jacqueline didn't want to send her father away to a home. But, that is what he needed, they need to take into consideration what would be best for him. Keeping him at home was their initial decision and it has been a few years since the diagnosis. His decline was slow, but obvious to her and it should be obvious to her mother. "I don't want to, but what if it gets out of hand? I don't want to wait until the very last minute. We need to think about what is best for him. "

"Being at home is good for him." Jacqueline sighed, but Kathleen continued. "Right now, being here is what's best for him."

"Okay, fine." Jacqueline interrupted. "Whatever you say."

The two women went silent. Kathleen busied herself with drinking her wine, while Jacqueline picked away at the food on her plate. Switching occasionally, to taking drinks of her wine. Arguing with her mother was pointless. They both were stubborn in their own right and from experience, Kathleen always seems to win her arguments. She could go on for an extended amount of time, which taught John and Jacqueline to relent their side. Only a few times did Jacqueline not back down from an argument. That usually never turned out well.

"How is work?" Her mother finally broke the painful silence.

Jacqueline shrugged and took another bite, "It's fine."

"I heard that someone escaped from headquarters," Jacqueline looked over at her mother, "it was Steve Rogers."

"Yeah." She wiped her mouth with the napkin and leaned back in her chair, "I'm going to be gone for about a week or so. I'm leaving town for a job."

For Steve Rogers, her mother thought. "Did you get to talk with him?" Jacqueline gave a quick nod. "What did you think?"

"It was strange. I grew up hearing stories about him, he was nothing but a myth to me. And then he's just there, awake and fully breathing. I don't know, it was just really strange."

"Well, I can't imagine what it must be like for him. Waking up to everything around him being completely different."

 _We are both in the same boat._ The meeting with Steve came to the forefront of her mind and that swell of sympathy came back. She couldn't stop thinking about him, sitting in his temporary room at headquarters, alone. Not knowing what exactly was going to happen to him next. How was he going to function in this society? Would he be able to adjust to the difference? That's what she was for, right? Fury wanted Jacqueline to not only keep an eye on Steve but help him. She couldn't deny that last part. All that she had told Steve was true, they were going to do anything they could to help him, even if it meant just her.

"Still, I would like to meet him someday." Her mother's offhanded statement made her daughter pause. Upon seeing the look on her face, Kathleen continued. "He did save your grandfather's life. If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be here and neither would you."

"Guess we both owe him for that, huh?"

It was an all too familiar story. One that had been told to her by both Kathleen and Peggy. Back in WWII, Jacqueline's grandmother Addie enlisted in the United States Army and was soon working for the S.S.R. It was there that she met Peggy and Steve Rogers, before he became Captain America. The story goes that her grandfather was captured by the Germans and held at a facility with other POW's. Steve snuck behind the enemy lines with Peggy, Howard, and Addie's help and freed all the prisoners. So, perhaps her mother was right. If Steve hadn't done that, they probably wouldn't be here today.

"Did you keep those history documentaries?" Jacqueline quipped after they had been sitting in silence.

Kathleen smiled and gave a curious look, "Yes. Do you need them for something?"

"I've got some history lessons to give to someone."

* * *

Jacqueline didn't get back to her apartment until late at night. She was exhausted, but she didn't go to bed right away. In fact, Jacqueline sat down on her couch and did nothing. Her impending trip out to Vancouver with Rogers was still on her mind. There was a large bag near the front door that had the documentaries, movies, TV shows, and a shit ton of music C.D.s. Seventy years Steve had been asleep; history wasn't the only thing that he missed out on. It was movies and most importantly, music. If she was going to give him history lessons, at least she could through in some knowledge about pop culture.

Staring at the bag, she was debating. Go to sleep and do all of this tomorrow, or just do it now. She had decided to burn popular songs onto blank C.D.'s and play them for Steve. A progression of how music changed through the decades. Although, Jacqueline couldn't help but smile at what his reaction might be once he got to the 90's and current music, how big of a change there was. It was probably going to be like a culture shock for him.

Standing up from the couch, she picked up the bag and sat down at her computer. She may be exhausted, but if she didn't start this now, sleep wasn't going to come. She had two days at least to try and get this done. All-nighters will need to be done in order to complete this task.

 _Hope you're ready for a long history lesson, Rogers._

* * *

 **A/N:** So, I wasn't too happy with this chapter. I tried re-writing it and editing it and this was the result. Sorry, it's not the best. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, really you all made me so incredibly happy! Thank you so much!

 _(edited 10/22/18)_


	3. Part I: III

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel**

* * *

 _Stay awake. Oh, and never pull another all-nighter. Never again._

Jacqueline groaned at the constant babbling her thoughts were running through. Really, though. Waking up this morning, she swore to never stay up all night, for any reason. However, given the kind of job she currently has, that promise won't be kept for very long. Standing in the main lobby, it was more quiet than usual. Only a few people were out, walking to different locations. Everyone else was in briefings. Honestly, the silence was lulling her more into falling asleep.

Impending footsteps, and a voice calling out her name startled Jacqueline. She jumped and Alex was right in front of her, with a cup of coffee she had asked him to fetch for her. "Here's your emergency coffee."

She quickly took the cup, breathing out a thank you, before taking careful sips. "It's hot."

Alex gave an amused scoff, "Of course it's hot, who wants to drink cold coffee?"

Jacqueline shot him a glare, while still drinking. _I don't need your sarcasm right now._ She didn't need to say it. Alex was perfectly capable of reading what she was thinking, especially if she was annoyed with him.

He took a moment to assess Jacqueline and his lips cinched to the side, "You know, not to offend or anything, but you look like absolute hell."

"God," Jacqueline pulled the cup away and narrowed her eyes at him, "Alex, you know sometimes there are things you just shouldn't say."

"When it comes to the truth, I just let it all out."

She quirked her eyebrow up in response, "You might need to work on that."

He let out a low chuckle. "Seriously, you look like you haven't slept in days."

"That's because I haven't," she brought the cup up to her mouth, pausing momentarily to say, "well, at least not that much."

"Oh?" Alex raised his eyebrows, curiously. "What have you been doing?"

"I've been brushing up on my knowledge of American history," she fumbled with the lid for a moment, "and I've been collecting music as well."

"That seems like an odd reason to pull an all-nighter."

"I'm going up to Vancouver with Rogers."

"Oh."

This wasn't a subject she had discussed with him yet. For one, she had been prepping for the trip, no time to chat. And two, she was sure that he would hear it from someone else. Clearly, that hasn't happened yet, which surprised her. Word always got around fast here. It could also be in part to Alex not surrounding himself with "gossip". He'd rather stay in a room on his own then listen to people talk on and on about something.

"So, why were you picking out music?"

"American history can be tedious to learn," she answered, nonchalantly, "plus, music is a big part of our country's culture—movies as well. I'm trying to add a little 'fun' to this. God knows he could use it."

"Seventy years of music, movies and TV shows, how the hell did you narrow all of this down to a cohesive list?"

She rolled her eyes, emitting how exhausting the process was for her. "Honestly, I don't even know how I managed to do it—but I did. I feel like I deserve a damn medal."

"If I had one, I'd give it to you."

Jacqueline smiled at Alex going along with her little line. At least he knew how to always make her smile. Alex was an interesting guy, she had to admit. Some people described him as being a smart ass. He could be that way, depending on who he was talking to. If he didn't like the person, he would annoy them with that persona. And while his sarcasm can get annoying at times, Jacqueline couldn't imagine working at SHIELD, without him.

"Are you ready to spend some quality time with Rogers?"

"You're making it sound creepy," she admitted, quietly. "I already don't think it's a good idea, but what can I say? I feel bad for him; I want to help him. Plus, I can't really tell Fury no."

"Fair enough." Alex turned in time to see Steve walking out into the main lobby with a small entourage behind him. "Speaking of Rogers,"

Alex moved to stand next to her, both of them watching silently as Steve made his way over to them. Jacqueline noticed that Steve looked more alert. The way someone looked like after they slept an adequate amount of time. However, she had no idea whether Steve actually slept through the entire night. But, when he got closer Jacqueline could see his face, how blank it looked, except for his eyes. Heavy and void. He seemed so much older than what his physical being was showcasing.

"Captain Rogers." She greeted once he was standing in front of her.

"Agent Lewis."

Jacqueline offered him a smile, hoping that it would lighten his mood. The corner of his lips curled in a very brief smile. It wasn't much. She was going to take whatever she could get from him. The two had only stared at each other, causing Alex to lean sideways until he was in view of Steve's sight.

"Captain Rogers," Alex stuck his hand out, which Steve took in his own, "Agent Devane, we haven't had the opportunity to meet yet."

"Nice meeting you, Agent."

"It must be pretty strange, right?" Alex gestured around them, "with how different everything is."

"It certainly is different." Steve offered with a single nod.

Jacqueline side-eyed Alex and then nudged him in the side. Understanding the memo, Alex cleared his throat, "Well, I'll leave you two at it then. Again, an honor to meet you, Captain Rogers."

As he turned to leave, Alex glanced back at Jacqueline, who raised her coffee up at him, silently thanking him once again for retrieving the drink for her. When her attention was back on Steve, the look in his eyes was something she was unprepared for. Absent and dazed, but with hints of readiness. His shoulders were fixed back, hands cupped together in front of him, she recognized that stance before. It was the way soldier would stand, the 'at ease' stance that everyone was familiar with. He was waiting for her to inform him of what was happening. Of course, he had no idea. It wasn't something he would admit, but he needed someone to point him in the right direction. He didn't know what to do.

"I'm sorry for all of that." Jacqueline apologized on Alex's behalf.

"It's fine. He was the first person I met who doesn't seem fazed by all of this."

"That's Devane for you." She supported Steve's claim rather easily. Nothing ever really seemed to faze him. "Captain Rogers, did Fury give you any details as to what is going to happen?"

Steve shook his head. "Only that I would be advised by you."

"Very well." She took a glance around, then motioned for Steve to follow. "I think it would be best if we start heading out now. You're probably tired of being here."

Steve didn't answer, he only followed Jacqueline. She took them towards the back of the building, where a car was waiting for them. From there, they would be taken to a private runway and take a flight out to Vancouver. It was going to be a simple trip, that would only take a few hours, no more.

When they arrived at the vehicle, Jacqueline opened the car door and motioned for Steve to enter. Only to have him insist that she go in first. Ah, the old saying. Ladies first. I'll indulge him. She went to step in when a wave of nausea washed over her, causing her to stumble back. Not getting enough sleep was starting to take its effect. And the coffee wasn't going to do that much for her.

It took her a moment, but she finally felt it. A hand pressed up against her back. She must have almost fallen on Steve. "Are you okay?" His voice was laced with genuine concern.

The question only made her feel embarrassed and she felt her cheeks grow warm. She almost fell against Steve Rogers; she can't imagine how much worse it would have been if she had collapsed from exhaustion. "I'm alright."

"Are you sure?"

Jacqueline drank what was left of her coffee, and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." One of the security personnel, who had followed them, took Jacqueline's empty cup. She offered her thanks before stepping into the car, this time, fully succeeding in the endeavor. Once they were settled in, the driver took off.

"Okay, I am taking you up to a safe house in Vancouver. S.H.I.E.L.D. has placed several safe houses in various locations. That way agents, or people like you, can seek refuge if they need it."

"Why a safe house?"

"It's just until we can set up another residence for you. Fury thought it might help if you got away from the city."

"So, I'm going to be dropped off at this house and then, left alone?" The faint quizzical look on Steve's face only confused her. Would he rather be alone? Considering that he's been asleep for seventy years, not able to interact with anyone, having company would be nice. But, she couldn't read his mind.

"No," she shook her head, this was going to be a little awkward. "I'm going to be staying up there with you. There is another place I'll be at, it's not that far from where you'll be." He was going to question why she was staying up there. "You mentioned to Fury about what happened while you were sleeping. That's what I'm here for."

"You're going to be giving me some history lessons."

She shrugged. "Like I said, we're going to help you in any way that we can. If that requires me to drag you through tedious history lessons, then so be it."

They remained silent for the rest of the car ride and the plane ride. Several times throughout Jacqueline thought about sparking up a conversation, but she didn't want to annoy him. Steve seemed comfortable sitting in his own thoughts, she didn't want to interrupt that. Instead, she occupied herself with studying him, which sounded a little creepy when she thought about it. One thing that was so relevant was how calm he was. That confused her. If Jacqueline were in Steve's position, being calm would be like a foreign sensation for her. But, this was a man who fought in several skirmishes during WWII. She's only been on minor missions, nothing compared to what he has witnessed. He's a soldier, a fighter. Natasha had always advised Jacqueline to uphold a sense of calm during high-intensity situations. While this moment isn't a fight, it was more of a metaphorical battle. It was Steve against the 21st century. Remaining calm is his way of familiarizing himself with the reality of it all.

She couldn't help but admire that. Despite all of the training she received, all that she had learned, Jacqueline was well aware of what she was capable of handling. If she were to fall into a coma-like sleep for seventy years and wake up in the future, forget calm. She would probably lose her mind. Although, Jacqueline had to take a step back to really analyze this further. Outwardly, Steve was calm and reserved. Internally, he was probably falling apart. Nearly every single person he cared about, are dead. The very thought alone made her stomach churn.

Something like that would undoubtedly cause a person to suffer from depression. Her back straightened when that came to thought and eyed him warily. Maybe Steve should talk with someone, only if the situation called for it. I should still talk with Fury about that. Jacqueline could step into that position, but she wasn't a professional with any of that. Steve would need someone who knew what they were doing. Still, they were going to be spending at least a week together. Establishing a form of trust was crucial. Through that bond, she would be able to show Steve that he wasn't alone. He may feel like it, but he's not.

The plane touched down in Vancouver a few hours later, it was still mid-afternoon. Several times during the flight, Jacqueline had slipped into sleep. They were more like micro-naps. She was hoping that Steve didn't notice; he did. A black SUV was waiting for them on the runway. As they were stepping off, the few bags that they had brought with them were loaded into the back of the car. Steve took particular interest in a huge duffle bag that was being handled. It only managed to catch his attention for a brief second, then it was over.

The route to the safe house was relatively simple. A short drive through the city and the rest was open land. Jacqueline had only been out to Vancouver a handful of times and always looked forward to the scenery of it all. Fury made it clear that this wasn't a vacation. However, any time that Jacqueline is able to get away from the city, she considers it a vacation.

The drive was soon over. Luscious woods were what greeted them, with a small pond and the safe house, which looked rather normal. Of course, it had to look normal, in an effort to not be conspicuous. But, also, this place was out in the middle of nowhere. There was no way someone would just stumble upon it. When they got out of the car, Jacqueline took out her duffle bag while Steve took out his own, which was a rather small bag. Made sense, he had little to no personal possessions, but it did contain items that S.H.I.E.L.D. had given to him. After advising one of the personnel to take the rest of her belongings to her location, she led the way towards the front door.

"It looks so, normal."

Jacqueline chuckled at Steve's remark and took a quick glance at the structure. "It kind of has to be, you know being a safe house and everything. Although, given its location, it probably didn't really matter how it looked."

After unlocking the door, Jacqueline pushed it open and motioned for Steve to walk in first. She made sure that Steve was the one to go in first. She had already humored him with the whole car thing, not that she had a problem with it. She placed her bag down on the table once inside. The place still looked the same. The last time she had been here was a few years ago. Jacqueline was always taken back by how warm the safe house looked. There was always a sense of comfort when she was here, sometimes she was confused by it.

Steve had taken in the location, familiarizing himself with the surroundings. He was going to be staying here for a while. Might as well try and get used to it. Jacqueline watched him quietly, allowing him time to adjust to it. He had turned back around, seeing that she was looking at him, Steve gave her a questioning look.

"What's wrong?"

Jacqueline, noticing that she had been staring, broke her gaze quickly and shook her head. "Sorry. Nothing. How do you like it?"

"It's fine." He looked around him, "not that I really have that much of a choice."

She nodded at his words, "Trust me, I think this safe house is much better than any apartment in the city."

"Why is that?"

Jacqueline shrugged, not knowing why she had said that. "I mean it's just personal preference. I'm more of a seclude myself in a peaceful place kind of girl. I don't really like living in the city, but I have to, because of my job."

Steve nodded. His eyes landed on the duffel bag and nodded at it. "What is in the bag?"

Jacqueline pursed her lips into a thin smile and unzipped the bag. "This contains everything I'm gonna need to teach you. You know, help you catch up with everything you missed."

It was rather thoughtful. However, Steve didn't know how she was going to cover seventy years in just a week. "How exactly are you planning on doing that?"

She reached into the bag and pulled out a box of dvds. "With these," she set them down on the table, "it's a historical documentary series that my father owns. I borrowed it for the time being."

Steve stared at the box set, "This is going to get that job done?"

"Of course it will." She assured and then pulled out her phone, "If there is something we missed, we can always check the internet."

"Internet?"

Jacqueline paused and after thinking about it pressed her lips into a thin line. _You are such an idiot, Jackie._ Steve doesn't know what the internet is. "Right. Okay, the internet is basically a series networks that we use to look up information on. We can watch videos, send information, do pretty much anything with it. If you need something answered, the internet will be your best friend."

The only answer Steve gave was a nod because he was too wrapped up in his mind trying to comprehend what the internet was. Her explanation was very simplified. If she were to go into extreme detail, they would be talking about it for quite some time. Shaking his head, his eyes settled on the object in her hand. "What is that?"

"It's a cell phone. You can charge it, carry it around with you. They were first created back in the 70's and then around the 2000's, smartphones were developed." Jacqueline turned on her phone, revealing the lock screen and swiped to the right, bringing up the home page with various icons. Steve was so enamored by it; she couldn't help but smile. She made a quick run through with what applications were and showing him the basic ones, like the call and messaging app. Just enough to give him an idea of how it operates.

"You want to test it out?" She gave him an encouraging look, inching the phone closer to him.

He eyed the phone, obviously hesitant and slowly shook his head. "No, that's fine."

She placed the phone down on the table, making sure to turn off the screen. "I'm fairly certain they will be issuing you your own phone pretty soon. So, I'll help you get acquainted with the thing."

"Sounds good to me."

Jacqueline smiled and focused her attention on her bag. She began to pull out other DVD's, movies that she picked out. Classics. At least, they were classics to her and her father. That was also a rather difficult task. Choosing what movies to show him while they were here. With only a week at their disposal, they weren't going to get through every single film. She had to be selective.

The last thing that Jacqueline pulled out were a few hardcover books, which Steve seemed to gravitate towards, immediately. A few of them had the name Stephen King on the front cover, of course, he had no idea who that was. But, given with how many of his books she brought, he must be pretty well known and a good writer too. He inched closer, narrowing down on one in particular and read the title, "From Here to Eternity." Picking up the book, he examined the binding and the cover, "You like to read."

"I love to read, that's all thanks to my father. He made it a habit to read something every night before I went to bed. As I got older, he recommended books to me and I would just devour them."

"What is it about?"

Jacqueline couldn't shake away the irony of this particular moment. The plot of the book and who had asked her the question. "It's about members of the Army Infantry who were stationed in Pearl Harbor. And it takes place a few months before the attack from the Japanese."

Steve breathed out a quiet laugh, "Isn't that a little ironic?" He opened the book and skimmed through the pages until he stopped on a page that was bookmarked. And he couldn't help but noticed that she was well half way through the book. "How long ago did you start reading this?"

Jacqueline only had to think for a brief moment. "I read all of that in about two days."

Steve raised his brow and gazed at her. "Two days?" She nodded. "So, I'm guessing you're a fast reader."

"I only read when I have time to relax and when I do, I don't stop. Especially if it's a book that I really like."

"Then you answered my next question."

She quietly chuckled and then thought of something. "Well, I'll finish this book within the next day or so. When I get done, you can read it if you want."

"Thank you." He didn't think on her offer. The response was instantaneous. Really, there was no reason for him to take time considering it. He was rather interested in this book, for some reason. "What's all of that?" He pointed at the other plastic cases that were spilling out from the duffle bag.

"Now, learning just history can get quite boring. So, I thought maybe I should try and put a little 'fun' in this. These are movies, TV shows and a whole CD set of music that you missed out on. Films and music have come a long way; they are just as important to our country's culture as our history is. Also, I was given these a few years ago, but I never used them." Jacqueline reached into the bag and pulled out two decent sized sketchbooks and handed them over to Steve, who took time to examine them with a good amount of admiration in his eyes.

He had always loved to draw and he would draw on any form of paper he could get his hands on. It was not only his way of being expressive but to also just pass the time. Drawing was often his way of escaping the harsh realities of growing up, mostly with how ill he was.

"When I was younger," she hesitated, "Peggy told me that you always loved to draw." At the mere mention of her name, Steve's gaze was instantly on her.

"You knew Peggy?"

"Yeah, I did. Both of my parents are former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. I was around her constantly." Maybe now it was time to tell him, keeping it from him no longer really seemed logical. "Captain Rogers, Peggy is still alive."

For the first time, Steve's features lit up, eyes cleared and mouth parted as if he was trying to form words but nothing was coming out. "How is she?" Steve finally managed to ask.

Oh boy. "She's fine. All things considered." The look of confusion that crossed his face urged her to continue, there was no use in stopping now. "Peggy got diagnosed with Alzheimer's a few years ago." Jacqueline paused, the image of her father flooded her mind. "She currently lives in Washington D.C., getting the care that she needs."

"Was she happy? I mean, after…" Steve's voice trailed off, hoping that Jacqueline would understand what he was asking. She did.

"Yes. She actually got married and had children." This was uncomfortable. Jacqueline knew that Peggy loved Steve, there was no denying it. And it was also relatively easy to spot, especially since Jacqueline was around her constantly growing up. Whenever Peggy spoke about Steve, she saw it, how much emotion and care went into how she talked about him. Even after she got married, it was still evident that Peggy held him close to her. "She had a really happy life and she still is happy, despite everything."

Jacqueline chewed on her bottom lip, thinking that it was a rather bad idea to tell him all of this about Peggy. Perhaps waiting a few more days would have been more sufficient. Too late now. Once again, Steve looked lost—his shoulders slumped in posture and his gaze lowered until he was staring at the book. He was glad—glad that Peggy moved on, that she found someone to share a life with…someone she had a family with. He was happy. But, he couldn't shake the feeling of how unfair it all was to him. Not only Peggy but everyone he knew, they were able to live out their lives, while he was literally frozen. Stuck, unable to move forward with them. It was so unfair.

"I'm glad." He had been silent for so long that when he finally spoke, it made Jacqueline jump. "She was able to move on. That's good."

Smiling sadly, she continued, "She never forgot about you. She would always tell me little things about you. Always focus on the man, that was her advice for me. She made sure that your memory was never forgotten." Did she really mean to say that? Part of her was saying yes, she did mean to. The other was scolding her for not just keeping that to herself.

"Can I see her?" He asked, his voice was slow and quiet, making him sound so young. Much younger than he looked, it caught her off guard. When he looked at her, his eyes were gentle and unwavering. How can this be the same man?

"Of course you can." She replied without hesitation. "I'll just need to talk with a few people. But, you are more than welcome to see her."

He responded well to her answer, his features softened and he allowed the smallest smile to slip through. It was infectious, she found herself smiling as well. She was actually very relieved that telling him this didn't have the opposite effect.

"Captain Rogers, I will say that I think right now, the focus should just be on you. And making sure that you're well adjusted."

Steve didn't seem to disagree, he only nodded in response. "But, there is something that I think we should clear up."

Her back straightened. _Oh god._

He set down the book and glanced up at her, "We aren't at headquarters anymore. You don't have to keep on addressing me as Captain Rogers. You can just call me Steve."

To say she was relieved was an understatement. It seemed like he was going to go into something much more important. She nodded in her compliance and relief, "Well since we are going by first name basis, you can call me Jackie."

Steve silently repeated her name, only he didn't use her nickname, he used her full name. At first, she thought that it was a misinterpretation on her part. It wasn't until he spoke she realized that she had read his lips correctly.

"Alright, Jacqueline. What's the plan?"

She couldn't help but smile at hearing someone use her full name. Granted, at her job, some people used her full name, but it was a rarity. Her parents never call her Jacqueline unless she was in trouble, everyone calls her Jackie. And here was Steve, using her full name. It didn't bother her; it was just strange hearing someone use it.

"Well, if you want, you can start watching the first DVD from this," she tapped the box collection, "and I could probably make you something to eat."

"You don't have to do that."

She shrugged. "I really don't mind. Headquarters doesn't always have the best food and I know it's been a while since you've had a really good meal."

He smiled again, emitting a small laugh to follow it. "And I promise," she continued, "my food is edible, my mom always vouches for it."

Steve thought about the offer, very tempted to try and convince her that she didn't need to. However, when his stomach rumbled that seemed to finalize the decision for both of them. Jacqueline raised a brow at him, waiting for him to verbally agree to her offer.

After a beat, Steve nodded, "Thank you."

...

The plan that Jacqueline quickly made up didn't exactly go the way she wanted it to. Correction, the cooking part went accordingly, watching the documentary didn't go as planned. As Jacqueline was gathering everything she needed to make her mom's lasagna, they both found themselves carrying on small conversations. One after the other, they didn't really know how to stop. One of the things that Steve made sure to point out was how he knew virtually nothing about her. Just that her parents were former agents and she was close with Peggy. Jacqueline had decided that they should save the documentary until after the food was done, and while she agreed to tell Steve things about herself, he offered his help with the cooking.

This was something she didn't expect. Cooking with Steve Rogers, how riveting that was for her. She didn't go into painstaking details about her life, just mundane ones. She was an only child, born in Massachusetts and moved to New York when she was five. Attended the academy and eventually started working for S.H.I.E.L.D. But, she spent a good amount of time talking about her parents, about how much they meant to her.

"It was just the three of us, so we had a lot of time to spend together."

From her duffle bag, Jacqueline pulled a few family photos. Steve scanned over the one of her parents. While looking at the photo, Steve noticed how Jacqueline looked more like her mother, but he could see hints of her father as well. Turning the picture over, the date 1978 was scrawled on the back. Steve was immediately taken back with memories of his mother. How it was just the two of them and with how sickly he was growing up, his mother hovered over him. God, he missed her. There was a lot that he missed.

Another photo on the table caught his eye. When he glanced down, a familiar face was staring back at him. He quickly picked up the photo, the name slipped right past his lips. "Addie."

Jacqueline, who was washing her hands at the sink, craned her neck to look back at Steve. She turned off the faucet and dried her hands with the kitchen towel.

Steve finally looked up, turning the photo over to show her. "How do you know Addie?"

 _Oh,_ this was bound to happen. Jacqueline had planned on bringing up the subject of Addie but wasn't sure when to. Jacqueline slowly approached him, her eyes scanned the photo quickly. "She's, uh, she's my grandmother." She winced at the look on Steve's face, complete shock. "Your world just keeps getting smaller, doesn't it?"

All he could do was _look_ at her. His eyes were glazed over as he took in her features. She was definitely a perfect blend of her parents. But he could pick up the subtle similarities to Addie; her nose and chin. He felt _odd._ The last memory he had of Addie was hearing her voice through the Valkyrie's comms.

 _You saved Joe's life. Now let me help you, please Steve._

Their goodbye was quick and hasty. One wouldn't even consider it a proper farewell. For him, that happened only a hours ago. But no. It has been nearly seventy years since she said those words to him. And now her granddaughter, of all people, is helping him adjust to living in the 21st century. This couldn't just be a coincidence, could it?

Steve turned the photo back over, focusing on the image before him. "Is she, uh, is she okay?"

 _Oh boy._ Jacqueline bit on her lip, thinking of the easiest way to break the news to him. There wasn't going to be one. "She...she actually passed away a bit back. Actually, it was a few months before I was born."

He went quiet, as if he was holding his breath. Addie was dead. He had worked himself up to a false sense of hope. After waking up, he was convinced that Peggy was gone as well. But she wasn't. The minute he saw Addie's photo he thought the exact same thing. He couldn't believe it. She was _gone._ "I'm sorry." He finally managed to say something.

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault."

When he said nothing else, Jacqueline resumed with the cooking. The silence from him was unnerving. When she looked back at him, he was in a daze, only in the company of his memories, not paying attention to anything else. And he was just staring at the picture of Addie, it worried her. She decided to switch the mood. Taking out the CD's that she made, Jacqueline played them on a small radio. Making sure to explain to Steve what exactly these were. A playlist that she put together of popular music, starting from 1946 and all the way up until early 2000's. She thought it would be easy for him to listen to the progression of music, and this was the most tedious thing she had ever done. No one will ever understand how difficult it was to create this thing, especially since there were many different songs to choose from. She decided to just choose the ones that were the most popular. It made the process so much easier.

With the music playing, they were able to comfortably descend into a routine. Between cooking the ingredients and layering them, Jacqueline was surprised at how comfortable she was around him. It no longer felt like she was cooking with Captain America, rather, it felt like she was spending time with an old friend. Jacqueline knew that it had nothing to do with her, it was all Steve. He was just so normal.

During the time that the food was cooking, Steve spilled out information about himself. Nothing too personal or intimate. Just like Jacqueline, it was all mundane. He talked a little bit about his mother, Sarah and how he met his best friend, Bucky. There was a lot he was leaving out, just mentioning their names, particularly Bucky's, would make him hesitate. Made sense. From what she had gathered from looking at the files, Bucky had died during a mission a few weeks prior to Steve's crash. For Steve, that grief and anguish were still fresh, even though it's been nearly seventy years, to him it was only weeks. She didn't need to know anything about him. That would take place as the next week dragged on. The subject of Steve's past was sensitive and she made sure to assure him that he didn't need to say anything. His current situation was different.

When the food was finally done, Jacqueline was rather relieved about it. That means they could get on with the original plan; watching the documentary. After piling on servings for themselves, Jacqueline turned on the first DVD. As they watched, it reminded Jacqueline how much she really disliked watching documentaries, particularly the ones that have to do with history. She never really found much fascination or interest in American history. It was always the subject that she struggled with in school. It was just so boring to her. It was a stark contrast to her father, who loved history, who loved learning every little detail. Not her. She spent most of her time concentrating on eating the food on her plate, while Steve was engrossed with both watching and eating.

The first hour or so were covering things that Steve already knew; how the war started and a few events that happened. Everything else was all new to him; the Potsdam Conference, the establishment of the United Nations and the Nuremberg Trials. Steve tried to grasp the concept of everything he was learning through this program. However, one event did pause their viewing since it rattled Steve. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. During the entire section, Steve never paid attention to what was being said, only the images that were being broadcasted on the screen. Buildings that were decimated, bodies buried in the rubble, survivors that were trying to escape the chaos. He was present in this war, he fought battles and witnessed the carnage. But, not like this. The United States was responsible for this. He was disturbed. To the point that Jacqueline eventually paused the screen.

"Are you okay?"

"They dropped those bombs on Japan."

She paused, briefly and then nodded. "Yeah." When Steve didn't respond, she didn't know what to do or say. Honestly, she should have expected some kind of reaction like this. "It's disturbing, I know. Not exactly one of our shining moments." She paused and scoffed, "Then again, we didn't really have a lot of good moments. A lot of the things we've done have been problematic and controversial."

"What do you think?" He asked.

She raised her brows, "About what?"

"About dropping the bombs. Do you think it was the right choice?"

He was really hitting down the nail. After placing her plate on the table, Jacqueline settled back and tucked her knees to her chest. She felt like she was in the middle of a group discussion in history class. She could just picture the teacher staring at her, waiting to see what kind of response she was going to give. "Personally and morally, it wasn't the right thing to do. But, Truman thought he was making the right choice. The plan to invade Japan had an estimation of casualties in the millions." She shrugged, "he probably thought that was the best decision in order to lower the number of casualties. I mean, no one can justify it, even now, it's still debated as to whether he made the right choice."

Steve wrung his hands together, eyes focused on the paused screen. "And to think, we were supposed to be the good guys. And then we drop these bombs on two cities."

"You're gonna see a lot of that, Steve." Jacqueline continued. "You will see a lot of moments in which we were not at our best."

Could it be any worse than this? If it was possible, Steve couldn't fathom what that could be. This was already morally unjustified, what else has this country done since he's been gone? He will find out, soon enough. There were still several DVD's that needed to be watched, would he be able to stomach it? Most likely. He wanted to know everything, he wanted to see the progression of his country's social morale—or the depletion.

Jacqueline had offered to turn off the whole thing completely if Steve wasn't in the mood to continue. But, he declined. There wasn't that much for them to finish and he vouched to finishing it. They didn't have that much time and there was still a lot more for him to get through. So, they did. There was silence between them. Only the narrator's voice provided sound. Steve never asked any more questions. He remained still, eyes focused on the screen, taking in the information as it flashed across the monitor. Jacqueline's eyes flickered over to him, light from the TV washed over his face and his eyes, they looked almost glazed over. He was a wonder.

She blinked. Did she really just think that? Yes, she did. But, it was true. They were in a safe house, in the middle of nowhere. The first time they had met was in the confines of headquarters. Here everything was relaxed, Steve no longer had the tension built up on his shoulders. He was at ease. Again, this was a man she had only heard stories of. Being able to sit with him, talk to him, being able to cook food for him, it was almost mesmerizing. She really couldn't explain the feeling to herself. But, what she had thought previously was true. This was a wonder; he was a wonder.

...

It was late. The house was lit with only a few of the kitchen lights. The TV was off; the documentary had been finished. Jacqueline placed the two plates into the sink and turned to the island. The dish that had contained a whole lasagna, was almost gone, with only a corner of food left. Steve was really hungry. He had gotten up several times to cut himself more portions. She had no problem with it. At least it was good. She was afraid he wouldn't like it. Honestly, he could have absolutely hated the dish and just lied, saying that he liked it to make her feel better. But, that was just her own little paranoia working against her.

Taking out a container from the cabinet, Jacqueline scooped out the portion into the container and looked up when she saw Steve standing on the other side.

"You don't have to clean up."

"No, it's okay." She snapped on the lid and set it aside, "I don't mind. I'll just finish cleaning up here, then I'll head out to my place."

Steve nodded. "Sorry about, eating practically all of it."

"You don't need to be sorry." She was bemused by his apology, so much so that she felt her lips spread with a smile. "I'm actually glad that you liked it."

"I did." His smile shot down any doubt she had about him not liking it. One thing she noticed early on, Steve was a little easy to read. "I enjoyed it a lot, thank you." He finished.

"You're very welcome." She took a quick glance over at the clock and tapped her finger against the counter, "It's pretty late. You might want to try and get some sleep."

Steve, who had been looking at Jacqueline's book, glanced up, making immediate eye contact. He held the look, for only a few seconds, before breaking the contact. "Yeah, probably. Are you sure you don't want me to help?" He gestured at the dirty dishes.

She dismissed his offer with a wave. "Don't worry about it, it's not that much. I'll handle this, you go get some rest."

He didn't move—he remained still, eyes still on hers with a gentle stare. This time, she couldn't make out what he was thinking. Okay, maybe he's not that easy to read. As a reflex, she merely smiled at him, which seemed to snap his reality back into place.

"Thank you," he was thanking her again, not that she could complain. "Thank you for everything you're doing."

"You're welcome."

With one final glance, Steve went to find a room to stay in but made sure to say one last thing. "Goodnight, Jacqueline."

A breath caught in her throat, the way he said her name, it sounded different coming from him. Swallowing a few times, she was finally able to regain her voice. "Goodnight, Steve."

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello everyone! It's been a while since my last update and I am terribly sorry. Work has been absolute hell for the last few weeks and with not having that many days off I barely had time to write this. Therefore, I am not happy with how this chapter turned out. I just really wanted to get an update for you all, I apologize for it not being that good. But, I want to thank you all you read and/or review this story, it really gives me so much motivation! Thank you! Also, I have a blog up for this story, it's renegadesfanfic on Tumblr, so if you wanna check it out go ahead!

(edited 5/25/18)


	4. Part I: IV

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel**

* * *

The air was chilly. It burned her lungs and throat with every exhale and her chest was heaving. Her legs had now gone numb, only a hint of the pain remained in her calves and knees. She noticed how the sun was just beginning to rise, making the trees look like silhouettes. It was about six in the morning, she had woken up about an hour earlier, deciding to go for a jog. Still, she questioned as to why she allows herself to do this. Jacqueline absolutely hated jogging, yet she tries doing it every morning after she wakes up. It was her way of just being with her thoughts, it allowed her to think about whatever comes to mind.

 _Is it really worth it though?_

That's the question she always asked herself when she's struggling with breathing and her legs feel like they were on fire. Still, she always follows through with the entire thing. Then, professes to herself afterward that she's finished with it. Then the next morning comes around and she does it all over again.

"I always let myself down." She quietly scolded herself.

Standing near the edge of the lake, she remained still, catching her breath, allowing her body to cool down. She still had a few more hours. Steve's sleep schedule wasn't something she had knowledge of and she had no idea if he was actually sleeping through the night. But, just in case, she would give him a few more hours before sauntering over to the safe house.

Summoning enough willpower, Jacqueline walked back to her 'house', the muscles in her calves strained with each step. It felt like knots were forming. A hot shower should help with that. She unlocked the door and upon stepping in, her phone on the kitchen table began to vibrate. Groaning, she used her foot to close the door behind her and walked over to the table. Picking up her phone, she saw the name on the screen. Tony.

She answered. "What's wrong?"

His voice came through, hinting at a little questioning in his tone, _"Why is it every time I call, you think something is wrong?"_

Jacqueline raised her brows and turned to the clock, reading the time, "Because it's only seven in the morning and you never call me this early unless something happened," she crossed her free arm over her chest, "so what's wrong?"

 _"What, I can't just call you to check up on how you're doing?"_

Not exactly. Tony would always call her about something that happened. Then at the end of that conversation, he would proceed with the whole 'how are you' side of the conversation. "Tony," she warned before continuing, "what is it?"

 _"Nothing,"_ Not the answer she was wanting to receive. Before she could respond, the sound of glass being set down on a surface made her pause for a second.

"Are you drinking? At seven in the morning?"

Tony scoffed on the other end, _"Oh please, Jaq you could give me just a little bit of leniency. It's orange juice, thank you very much."_

She jumped the gun a little too soon. "Why are you calling me?" She steered the conversation back on the right track, actually curious about what he has to tell her.

 _"You know your mother called me again, in her endeavor to get me over for dinner."_

This is what he wanted to talk to her about? Either way, the brunette actually managed to crack a small smile. That was very typical of her mother. Tony was someone that Jacqueline's parents have known since he was a child. And with how close the two families have become over the years, Tony was the closest thing to a son her parents had. Dinner with Tony was a recurring event that took place in their home. Especially after Tony's parents died, those dinners became more frequent.

Pulling a cup out from the cupboard, Jacqueline poured herself a glass of water, "Well, you know how my mom is, she just wants to know how you're doing."

 _"Knowing your mother, if I agree to another one, she's going to give me a whole pan of lasagna to take home."_

"She just wants to make sure that you're well. And that you're also eating well." Jacqueline's smile widened when she heard Tony give a small laugh on the other end.

 _"By the way, how's your vacation with Captain America?"_

"It's not a vacation, Tony." She corrected him, though her tone gave away her annoyance at him calling it that. "And, how did you know I was going to be up here?"

 _"I have my ways of getting information."_

"Hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D. is your way of getting information."

 _"I don't always have to hack into things."_

The statement made Jacqueline laugh. Whenever Tony wanted to know something that S.H.I.E.L.D. was doing, hacking into their system was the way to do it. Plus, he was an expert at it. Tony was the kind of guy who could hack into anything. Not to mention, he always brought up the fact that he successfully hacked into the Pentagon on a dare.

 _"Back onto why I called you, how is it? Being up there with the cap?"_

"First off, it's not a vacation, so get that out of your mind." Her voice was so deadpanned. "Fury told me to come up here with him, so I did."

 _"You know, if you didn't want to, you could've bargained with Fury."_

Resting a hand on her hip, her mouth hung open for a few brief seconds as she tried to come up with a retort. "Who says that I didn't want to? I felt bad for him so I wanted to help him. In any way that I can." She heard Tony hum again on the other end and her eyes narrowed, "Why all of a sudden are you calling me about this? What does any of this have to do with you?"

 _"I'm asking because I'm a curious person, Jackie."_

"More like incredibly nosey." She recounted, but Tony went on, completely ignoring what she had murmured to herself.

 _"So, what's the cap like?"_

"Excuse me?"

 _"You know what I mean."_

"Tony, seriously, you called me at seven in the morning for this?" Honestly, she shouldn't be that surprised with this. Tony was known for calling her about things that were completely out of the blue. But, the fact that he was calling her about Steve, it was off-putting "I've only spent one full day with the guy, I don't even know him that well."

 _"You're staying with him up at the safe house. That means you are the only person at S.H.I.E.L.D. who has a good sense of what he's like."_

"Why are you all of a sudden wanting to know about him?" She paused and raised a brow, "Are you going to fanboy all over him?"

 _"That's Coulson's job, not mine."_

Of course, how could Jacqueline forget about Coulson? Possibly the only person at S.H.I.E.L.D. who has a great admiration for Steve, as in he is a huge fan of him. Jacqueline was often subjected to witnessing Coulson's fanboyism, but she often found it enduring in some sense. Coulson was someone who no one could remain annoyed with.

 _"You could at least give me something to work with."_

"Why don't you just wait? You're gonna meet him at some point and you can figure it out for yourself."

 _"You know exactly why I'm asking this, Jaq."_

"Um, actually, no I really don't know why this is any of your business."

 _"I'm pointing my finger at my father. Did you happen to forget what, or who, he always talked about?"_

Jacqueline paused and rolled her eyes, not in annoyance, but in her own realization. "Steve."

 _"It was always about him. He wanted me to aspire to be like him. So, I just want to know if all the hype my father built up around him was worth it."_

The statement made Jacqueline cinch her lips to the side, she knew about this. Tony's relationship with his father was not all warm and kind. She was a constant guest at the house of Howard Stark and his family. So much so that Jacqueline often considers the location her second home. But, she grew up around the harshness that was Tony and Howard's relationship. Of course, she was never exposed to the full brunt of it, but it was enough for her to obtain an understanding. Howard spoke about Steve constantly and it did annoy Tony. Being a witness to it, Jacqueline couldn't help but feel sympathy for Tony.

But, what exactly could she give him? Everything she had told him was true; she hardly knew the guy. There wasn't much that she could give him to get him to stop asking. "Like I said," she continued, "I hardly know him, I've only had one full day with the guy. But, from what I've seen he's well put together, kinda quiet, reserved. I mean it makes sense, he's been asleep for about seventy years and he's living in a time that makes no sense to him." Jacqueline paused and could hear Tony giving small hums, taking her words into considering. "Okay, you know what? I'm not going to do this, alright? Like I said, I don't even have that much."

 _"I'm pretty sure you'll gather more in the next few weeks."_

She could hear his voice slur towards the end. After assessing the slur for a few seconds, she came to a conclusion. It wasn't from drinking, it sounded more like exhaustion. "Okay," Jacqueline ran a hand through her ponytail, "Tony did you pull another all-nighter?"

At first, there were only sporadic hums coming from his end before he finally answered, _"Possibly."_

Of course, he did. There was really no point in her asking that question. "Go to bed. Pepper is probably going to kill you if she finds out you pulled another one."

 _"You really think so?"_

"Tony. Go to bed." She enunciated each word, making sure they all held the same amount of impact.

 _"You sounded like my mother just then."_

The statement made her huff out a breath. "Sometimes we need to be a mother to you. Go to bed, get some rest. And, don't call me if it's about Steve. Okay?"

 _"Mhm."_

"And, just accept my mom's dinner offer. You know she won't stop bugging you until you say yes." With one last hum of compliance, Jacqueline rolled her eyes at the conversation they just had, "bye, Tony." With that, she hung up the phone and placed it back down on the table.

Next thing on her mind was to take a shower. The sweat that had covered her body was starting to dry, leaving her with a strange feeling sitting on her skin. She wanted it off. After stepping out, the clock only read 7:45. There was still a good few hours before she was planning on heading over to Steve. Drying her hair with the towel, she debated on what she could do in her spare time. Staring at the night table near her bed she saw, From Here to Eternity, which marked a mental note for her.

Need to bring that to Steve. As she had stated to him the previous night, she would be finishing that book within the next day or so. She just finished it earlier than she had anticipated.

Standing in the room, she paused and pressed her tongue against her cheek. What to do? She could always start reading one of the extra books she brought with her. In fact, that's what her decision was. After making herself a cup of coffee, Jacqueline lounged herself in the sitting room and propped open a book, The Shining, to be exact. She never had a real interest in reading Stephen King novels. It was her friend Gabby that ultimately convinced her to give the books a try.

Her phone, which was on the table next to her, began vibrating. Pausing her reading, she reached over and glanced at the screen, then answered. "Hi, mom."

 _"Hi, sweetie, why are you up so early? I was going to leave you a message."_ Her voice came through, audibly surprised at having her call answered.

Jacqueline pouted her lips and absentmindedly skimmed over the page, "Oh, you know, I thought that I would start the day a little early." God, that was such a lie.

Her mother sighed into the phone, _"How much sleep did you get, Jacqueline?"_

There she goes, using her full name. Of course, her mother would see right through it. Although to be fair, Jacqueline wasn't exactly being discrete. She glanced up at the ceiling and rested the back of her free hand against her forehead, "I'll admit, not that much."

 _"Did you try to get to bed at a decent hour last night?"_

"It was decent enough," she ran a hand through her still damp hair. "You know how it is, mom. It doesn't matter what time I try to sleep; I just can't fall asleep."

 _"I really wish you would see someone about it."_

"It's fine mom, I promise." She paused and then continued, "I should be back on my normal pattern within the next day or so." Her mother hummed her doubt, prompting Jacqueline to try and switch over the subject a little bit. "Why are you up so early?"

 _"Kind of a restless night,"_ Kathleen answered, without much hesitation. _"Kept waking up, finally decided to just not go back to sleep."_

That was a little off-putting. "Has it been a rough few days with dad?" She asked, brows furrowed in concern.

 _"No, actually, the past few days have been rather good. We went for a few walks, haven't done that in a while."_

To say the news made her happy was an understatement. Good days were in rare supply for her father. Anytime that he was given a day where the illness took a backseat, called for any form of celebration. Usually, it would consist of the three of them taking long walks in her parents' neighborhood.

"Let's just hope that it will remain like that for a while longer."

Kathleen didn't respond at first, but the mood changed. _"You know it never does."_

Jacqueline emitted a long exhale, not finding anything she could say to rebut her mother's statement. It only made the mood sink even more. But, Kathleen was able to pull it up from the depth. _"How is it in Vancouver?"_

"It's...alright."

It was such a simple answer. Kathleen thought that her daughter was going to go into more detail. She never did. So, she decided to push for more information. _"How is Steve?"_

Jacqueline maneuvered herself until she was sitting up and blew out a breath. "He's…fine. I don't know it's just really weird. I mean, how many people can say that they know a guy who spent seventy years frozen in the Arctic? Not many."

Kathleen let out a breathy laugh, _"It's weird when you put it in that context."_

"Yeah," Jacqueline messed with a piece of string hanging loosely from her pants, thinking back on the conversation she had with him the previous night. "I told him about Peggy." The only response Jacqueline got was a hum, signaling for her to continue. "The moment I told him that she was alive, it was like—his face just lit up, you know? I just saw so much," she didn't know exactly how to articulate how it made her feel. "I don't know how to explain it. I just saw so much on his face."

 _"Did you tell him everything about Peggy?"_

"That she got married and had kids…yeah, I did."

She could hear her mother hesitate for a moment, _"How did he react to that?"_

Thinking back, Jacqueline thought that his reaction would be completely different. The one she got was rather surprising. "He actually reacted really well. I mean, he said that he was happy that she had moved on."

 _"Do you believe it?"_

Jacqueline shrugged and ripped off the loose string, "I think he genuinely is. But, it would be completely understandable if there was a little bitterness as well. Not towards Peggy, just bitter to the fact that he couldn't move on as well." Balancing the phone between her ear and shoulder, Jacqueline leaned back against the couch. "I don't know; this whole experience is just a little…different."

 _"Well, I am glad you're managing it."_

"Me too." Jacqueline bit her lip, the more that Kathleen was talking, the more tired she sounded. "I told him about Grandma Addie."

Kathleen sucked in a breath, not saying anything for a good few minutes. " _How did he react?_ "

"Better than I thought. He got really quiet when I told him she passed away."

Kathleen only hummed in response. The subject of her mother had always been a sensitive subject for her. "Mom, you sound really tired, you should get some sleep."

 _"I'll be fine."_ Her voice was hoarse and low. _"But, I'll let you go now. I love you."_

"I love you too, mom. Tell dad I love him."

 _"I will sweetie. I'll talk to you later."_

She kept the phone to her ear until she heard the call end. Immediately after, a sinking feeling settled in her stomach. If only things were different.

...

Jacqueline tucked the book under her arm as she unlocked the door to the safe house. Stepping inside, it was quiet, which is what she expected. Perhaps he was still sleeping, might give her a chance to make him breakfast. She placed the book down on the kitchen island and out of the peripheral of her vision, she saw the TV was on, paused on a certain scene.

Turning her head, she recognized the scene from the documentary she had brought. "What,"

Footsteps came around the corner of the hallway and Steve stepped out, stopping once he saw Jacqueline standing in the kitchen. At the same time, her attention focused on him and for a moment they both stood there. Both acting like they were caught off guard by all of this.

"Good morning." Jacqueline finally broke the brief silence between them. The silent standing was starting to make her heart pound against her chest.

"Morning," Steve replied.

Jacqueline gestured at the television screen, "You started watching the rest of the documentary."

"Yeah. I was up and thought that I would just get started on it again." He paused and narrowed his eyes, "I hope you don't mind."

"No, of course not. You're not obligated to wait for me or anything. But, you worked the DVD player on your own."

"I watched you set it up the first time. Of course, there was a bit of trial and error."

"Right." Of course, he did. How else would he have known what do to?

She moved her attention back to the kitchen table, about to tell him that she had finished the book when she paused. One of the sketchbooks she had given to him was lying open. Curious, she reached over and pulled the book over to her. He'd already started putting them to good use. The sketches were of familiar images: buildings in New York, a faint sketch of Central Park, shop windows. These were all sights they passed on their way to the plane. But, she had to admit, these sketches were really good. Better than anything she could muster up.

"These are really good," she marveled, turning the pages, admiring every work that came up, "better than anything I could ever draw."

"How long have you been drawing?"

Jacqueline paused and laughed, "I think the word _draw_ is too strong a word for what I was capable of. I liked to doodle. But, it was nothing like this." She continued on and noticed that quite a few of the pages were filled. She looked up, seeing that Steve was silently watching her scanning over his work.

"You drew quite a bit in this sketchbook already," she saw Steve's face softened as he nodded his head and then, she cringed slightly. "I'm guessing you didn't get that much rest last night."

"I think I've had enough rest for now. I mean, I did try. But, I just couldn't. So, I just drew and then I came out here and," his voice trailed off.

Jacqueline pressed her lips tightly and nodded. He was up all night, then. Glancing back down at the pages, she admired the last image one more time before closing the book. "Well, I'm glad they're being used properly, instead of collecting dust on my desk. But, I did finish this," Jacqueline reached over and picked up the book she had brought. "So, if you wanted to get started on it," she handed it over to him. "It's all yours."

One more thing that can occupy his time at night so that he wouldn't sleep. Honestly, sleep was one of the things he was trying to avoid. Too much was rattling around his head. Closing his eyes would only give all of it free range.

"Did you get enough rest last night?" His question threw her off. He saw the confused look when he glanced up at her. "I mean, you seemed exhausted when we flew out here."

"Oh, right," She cleared her throat having forgotten about that little event that happened. "I guess you could say that sleep isn't exactly being cooperative with me."

It was not hard to notice. Steve took in on how heavy her eyes looked, not just that. But, it was the way she was holding her stance. Her shoulders were slumped and one of her hands was pressed against the table, giving her some kind of leverage to keep her upright. "It seems like it's been happening for a while." He inquired.

"Yeah, this happens every month or so. My sleep schedule just kind of goes off kilter and it takes a few weeks for it to calibrate."

Sounded familiar. There were times, before the war, when sleep didn't happen for Steve. Whether it was his illnesses keeping him up or his own mind, this was something he found some relation with. "If you need to, you can go and rest. You don't have to be up."

"No." She quickly interrupted, shaking her head in the process. "No, it's okay. I'm fine. Once we get going here, I'll start to wake up. How far did you get on this one?" She pointed over at the television screen.

"I've been watching it for a few hours." He wasn't entirely sure how far he was in this particular episode.

"You're probably almost done then. You're watching the one on the 50's right?" Steve nodded. "I think the plan for today is to try and finish all of these."

"You really think we'll be able to?"

"If we get started right now, we probably will."

Jacqueline was starting to regret her decision to let Steve watch this documentary. It probably would have been a better choice to just select certain events and explain them. But she thought, why the hell not? They were going to be here for a while, might as well give him an entire rundown of what happened. However, she never factored in that each segment was about two hours long, that was just the minimum. A few of them are just a little over three hours long.

Why did I ever think this was a good idea?

There was really only one thing Jacqueline could find as a positive, the 60's was when things got interesting. In terms of events, it was one of the decades that was easy for her to learn in school. She was rather selective, no fault of her own when it came to what interested her. She took notice of the fact that Steve was asking questions, more than usual. Not that she minded. She preferred it, actually. It helped to keep her awake and focused.

But, with each hour ticking slowly and only getting up to switch out the dvd's, Jacqueline felt herself starting to succumb to her exhaustion. That was both good and bad. It was good because this means that her schedule will normalize after this. The bad thing is, there was a chance that she was going to fall asleep. Right here, right now. She had to get through this, besides, it would be a little rude if she just fell asleep in the middle of the documentary. Sitting on the couch wasn't helping her in this situation.

Once mid-afternoon hit, Jacqueline occupied herself with messing around in the kitchen. Even when Steve offered to help, she politely declined, telling him that it would be best if he just watched the rest of the documentary. She just needed to move around. As long as she was moving, keeping herself occupied, she would stay awake.

She managed to pull something together, despite the fact that her vision merged together a few times. That freaked her out a little, especially since she was using knives in the kitchen. Not something she would recommend someone doing; handling knives when they are on the verge of collapsing into sleep. It was extremely lucky that she didn't accidentally cut herself. But, her plan had worked. Bustling about helped wake her up and with conversations sprouting up between her and Steve, it was helping to take the edge off of her exhaustion. And it remained that way until they finally reached the last episode of the documentary.

Jacqueline checked the time. 11:30 p.m. This thing still had another hour or so left. And she was growing tired, this time it was a wave that washed over her. The heaviness grew in her eyes instantly and every muscle in her body relaxed.

 _No, come on. Stay awake._

Her head bobbed several times. She tried fighting it. Every act against it only made her feel more tired. Usually, she was at home when this started. That allowed her to just fall asleep, without hesitation. She was in a different situation at the moment. She just had to get through the rest of this.

She focused her eyes on the screen, watching the images flash to different scenes. Gradually, the narrator's voice grew muffled, like she was in a tunnel until the voice descended into nothing. Simultaneously, her vision blurred and her lids closed all the way. There was no chance of stopping it this time. She was out.

Steve didn't notice she had fallen asleep until he had finished the program. When he glanced over, she was curled up; knees to her chest and head resting on the couch's arm. Instead of waking her up, Steve chose to leave her alone. There was no point in having her go back to her place. She was more than welcome to sleep here. Steve placed one of the spare blankets on top of her, ensuring he didn't do anything to wake her. After turning off the TV, he retreated back to his room thinking-hoping, that he might get some decent rest tonight.

...

She awoke with a jolt. Her eyelids slowly opened; eyes, at first blurry, gradually grew clear and scanned the room. Immediately, she knew that this wasn't her room back at the other location. Then, where the hell was she? Her brows furrowed upon her recollection of the previous night and her body eased when she finally remembered. She had fallen asleep. Her hand pressed against her forehead, "Good job, Jackie." She muttered to herself, voice still groggy from having just woken up.

It was then that she took notice of the blanket that was covering her. Okay, that's weird. Her hand grabbed hold of the fabric, tired eyes examining it and recalled, specifically, that she didn't fall asleep with this thing on her. Then it dawned on her, Steve must have covered her with it. All of a sudden, Jackie felt herself smile. She didn't know why; it wasn't like it was an uncommon thing that people did. Still, it made her smile, she couldn't help it. But the minute she thought about Steve, she felt guilty. The last thing she wanted to do was fall asleep and she did just that.

Groaning at the disappointment she felt with herself, Jacqueline felt around for her cell phone, she pulled it out from her pocket to read the time. 10:30 a.m. That was a fairly decent time. Not only that, she felt amazing. Having finally gotten an actual night where she slept all the way through, has made her feel rejuvenated. Now, she doesn't have to worry about feeling exhausted when she went to work or when she did anything.

Using the back edge of the couch as support, Jacqueline pulled herself into a sitting position and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. All the while, soft footsteps appeared from the hallway and when she pulled her hand away, the image of Steve was what greeted her.

"Good morning."

The greeting made her smile, "Hi," she then gestured at the couch, "sorry about falling asleep here last night. You should've just woke me up so that I could get out of here."

Steve shrugged, he really saw no reason why. "It's fine. You seemed really tired yesterday, I didn't want to wake you up."

"Well, I'm sorry about just falling asleep out of nowhere. I was really trying my best to keep myself awake."

"You don't need to apologize." He paused for a moment and then continued, "do you feel better?"

"Fortunately, I do. Now, I have about another month, or so, before this happens again." But, she might be lucky. There have been a few times where she had gone months without having her schedule thrown off. She just didn't understand her body, or her mind, or why it did any of this.

Jacqueline allowed herself to really look at Steve and something about him struck her. He looked haunted. Shoulders were slumped in their posture and his eyes look red and—swollen? She swallowed hard, it looked like he might have been crying? No, it couldn't be from that, but maybe it was. It was either from crying or lack of sleep. But, she was leaning more towards the first choice.

Steve, although it was faint, grew visibly uncomfortable with her just staring at him. She wasn't trying to make him feel off. She was just trying to figure out what was wrong. Asking him would be a whole lot better than just staring at him.

"Are you alright?" Her question threw him off for a few seconds. It made him look lost like he didn't know how to respond to her. He finally gave her a small nod, but she wasn't convinced. "Did you get any rest last night?"

Steve remained quiet. At first, he kept his eyes off of her, choosing to simply stare at the ground. He was so still, it honestly worried her. That worry slightly diminished when he looked at her and shook his head. Something happened last night. Scraping her teeth against her lip, she pondered silently. She couldn't just move on like she hadn't noticed his appearance. It would bother her all day if she didn't do something about it, or more specifically if she didn't do anything for him.

She thought about what they could do. Maybe start one of the films she brought with her. But, when she took another glance at his appearance, probably not. She started taking simple notes. He hasn't gotten much, if not any, sleep since he woke up. And he's been cooped up in this safe house since they arrived. That's when the idea hit her.

"You want to go take a walk with me?" It was a simple thing for them to do. He's only been staying in this place for the past few days, not leaving its confines. Maybe some fresh air might make him feel better?

He was quiet and hesitant. Mostly since he didn't know exactly what he needed. "It's really nice around here," she tried again, hoping to get him to agree to her offer. "We don't have to worry about anyone finding us."

Maybe a walk is what he needed right now. It took him a moment, but Steve ultimately agreed with her offer. She also had a plan of her own. Perhaps getting him out and walking around for a bit, might offer her the right moment to really ask him how he is. Steve's trust with her is still fragile, the foundation only having been created a few days ago. So, having someone you don't really know trying to act like a therapist, or a close friend, might be off-putting. But, she was willing to try. Like she said, she was willing to help him in any way that she could. This was a moment for her to truly come through with that declaration.

It took Jacqueline a moment to balance herself. Her body was still trying to wake up. When they both were set, they headed out of the safe house and proceeded to walk along the banks of the lake. There was a path that allowed them to walk the entire perimeter and they did. Quite a few times actually. They didn't say anything to each other. Mostly due to the fact that Jacqueline gave him space. Not wanting to make him talk if he wasn't ready to. She got a sense that Steve was trying to calm himself, trying to get himself back into the right head space. Whatever happened last night, it must have affected him, deeply. It wasn't until their fifth time around the perimeter did Steve finally talk.

"You said that you know Peggy," They didn't stop their walking, just slowed their pacing. Jacqueline dug her hands into her sweater pockets and nodded in response. "And your parents were former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, how acquainted are they with Peggy?"

Time to start spilling a little bit more of information. Not a problem. "Of course, my mom has known her since she was a kid. But, they helped Peggy with a few projects back in the 70's. She valued their intellect and their loyalty—I don't know; they just became good friends."

In the process of talking about Peggy, the image of Howard popped into her head. He was someone that Steve knew as well. Howard had always called Steve a friend whenever the latter came into a discussion. Without really thinking about it, she switched the topic onto the subject of the late Stark. "My parents were also good friends with Howard as well. I spent quite a bit of my childhood at his residence."

This made Steve curious and the raised eyebrow was proof of that. "Why were you staying at his residence?"

"After I was born, my parents were still determined to do their jobs. So, I bounced around a lot, from staying with my grandparents and staying with Howard. That was when they would work or go on missions." It wasn't something she thought about a lot, but it was a very prominent point in her early childhood. Her parents were absent, almost constantly. While she did miss them, Jacqueline found comfort with being in the company of Howard and, more specifically, Tony. "Howard and his family, well, they became like family to me. Especially, his son Tony."

Steve nodded. He had read about Tony while he was back at headquarters. He became CEO of Stark Industries after Howard's death and his capture by terrorists in Afghanistan. But, it wasn't just Tony that Steve read about. It was then that he learned of Howard's fate. "Before we came up here, Fury gave me a file on Howard. I read that he and his wife passed away."

Oh. The statement made them both go silent. Jacqueline wasn't planning on talking about this. The subject of Howard and Maria's death wasn't one that she ever wanted to talk about. She didn't have whole memories of that time, just small bits of certain things.

"I remember just small things about that time," she said. "I was only like six years old. I was at home and my parents were very upset. As a kid, it was always easy for me to notice when something was off with them. But, they never told me, not at first. They kept me away from it." Jacqueline went quiet. The memories, however, few there were, still held the heavy emotion within them. "Their son, Tony, I didn't see him for a few weeks."

"Your parents kept all of that from you…for weeks?"

"No," she quickly answered, feeling the sudden need to defend her parents' decision. "They told me a few days after Howard and his wife passed away. They weren't really sure how to tell me. They just needed time. But, I just never saw Tony. It was only a few weeks, but as a kid, it felt like forever."

They both stopped along the edge of the lake. There was a thick emotion that was surrounding them—it was somber. Talking about death and loss wasn't something that she ever wanted to talk to Steve about, especially this early on. Given the fact that he's lost so much, talking about it can't be easy for him. Not one but. But, when he brought up the subject, it all just sort of, spilled out. She couldn't really help herself.

"When I finally saw him, his parents had been buried, but everything was different. He was different, for a while. He was quieter around me…more reserved. Around others, he put on a completely different facade." After that, she finally stopped, thinking why she didn't stop sooner. Looking over at Steve, his face said it all. God, she felt even more guilty now. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to talk about any of this. I'm sure that doesn't really make you feel any better."

"No, it's fine. I'm the one who brought it up." He quietly assured her. "It's what keeps me up at night."

It took a moment, but the meaning behind his words finally clicked for her. She turned her attention to him, he didn't make eye contact with her, "What do you mean?"

Keeping his gaze on the tree line, he didn't answer her right away. Probably was regretting that he had even said anything. It should have been a clue to her that he didn't wish to go further. But, being the kind of person she is, Jacqueline took a chance. "Steve, I know that we don't really know each other. Your trust with me is still new and I know this isn't my job, but if you need to talk about anything. I'm more than willing to listen."

Jacqueline was actually scared, he went quiet, not moving or saying anything. She was scared that her offer to help would be turned down. But, why would she be scared about that? It had to do with how vulnerable she felt. She's had no emotional, or mental guard up when it came to Steve. The entire time, she has been nothing, but open with him. Telling him about her life, her parents, her grandmother, and other various information. Being this open with someone she hardly knew, was surprising to her. But, there was something about Steve that held a sense of familiarity. Like she has known him her entire life. The only thing she knew about Steve was what was said to her. She supposed that keeping herself that open made her prone to anxiety. She has seen him emerge back into the subjects of his past. The only thing that Jacqueline wanted to do was help him. The idea that her offer could be rejected, nerved her to no end. She hated how vulnerable this all made her feel.

Steve, on the other hand, was questioning himself. Should he trust her with this information? Ever since waking up, there has been no one he was willing to talk to. At least, not about what he was experiencing mentally. He remembers it all. He remembers their faces and voices. All of the missions he went on with the Howling Commandos. The memory of watching Bucky fall has been seared into his mind. His first, and last, kiss with Peggy and her voice being the last thing he heard before it all went black.

Every night, since he woke up, it's all he would see when he closed his eyes. And how it made him feel was so complex for him to interpret. But, anger was always the main emotion that could be picked out. Just bitter anger. And he hated the way it made him feel, how easily anger could consume a person. He couldn't help but wonder, was his anger valid? He sacrificed himself to save others, does he really have a right to be angry about it? He wasn't sure, he needed to know.

"It's everything; the war, Peggy, Addie…Bucky. Every time I try to sleep I always see them. I see what my life was before I crashed into the ice. I think about how they looked for me and never found me. Then having to move on from that." He took in a slow, calming breath. Forcing himself to verbally speak what he was feeling made it feel raw. Made it feel more real. "I have to admit; I can't help but think about how unfair it is. Why did everyone get to move forward, except for me? I should have been able to."

God, it made him feel so self-centered. He saved lives as Captain America, he was able to save thousands more by crashing the Valkyrie. He doesn't regret that. Except, the more he thought about it, there was a small inkling of regret, in the pit of his stomach. What does that say about him? "Sounds really selfish of me, doesn't it?"

"No, it makes sense." She didn't have to think about her answer because this is what she truly thought on that matter. "Listen, I can't tell you that I understand how you feel, without it being a lie, because I don't. I've never been in your situation before, so I can't imagine what all of this must be like for you." Was it selfish of him to think this? Some might think, yes. But, Jacqueline always viewed selfishness as a complex emotion that has various degrees.

"But, I do know this. You've been frozen for almost seventy years. You weren't given the opportunity to live a full life with the people you care about. It isn't fair and I mean it when I say that I'm sorry that this happened to you. No one deserves that." She really didn't feel like this was making him feel better. Or maybe it did, she couldn't read his mind.

Glancing over at him, all she could decipher was that he was taking her words into consideration. That's all. But, it was enough to know that she was being heard. "But, you call it selfish, then so be it. If I can be perfectly honest, you have every right to be selfish right now. Be selfish. Be angry. Let yourself feel it. It just means that you're human."

Did he feel any better? Steve wasn't entirely sure. But, knowing that she finds validity in how he felt made the weight on his shoulders a little lighter. The moment he woke up, he felt alone. He knew no one and didn't recognize that world he currently lives in. Jacqueline is the only person he's been able to establish some form of bond with. And having her with him has made all of this more of a smooth transitioning. This also made him think back to what Jacqueline had said to him during their first meeting. We're on your side, Captain Rogers. And for the first time, he was starting to actually believe that statement.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, this chapter was pretty mellow, but I kinda liked it. I went back and edited some details in the previous chapter. Nothing too major. But, the next chapter will take place at the end of their stay in Vancouver and will finally lead us into The Avengers! I hope you all are excited for what's to come! I also have a blog for this story up renegadesfanfic

A review would be much appreciated! Thank you all for the support on this fic! I really appreciate it!

(edited 5/25/18)


	5. Part I: V

**disclaimer: I do not own Marvel**

* * *

It was strange. Sitting on a plane that was taking them back to New York. They only spent about a week up at the safe house. And now they had to fly back to New York. He didn't outwardly admit it to her, but he'd rather stay at the safe house. During their stay, he had grown accustomed to having Jacqueline around him and got used to the routine that was set in stone. He would wake up from what little sleep he had gotten the night before and she would be there. Eagerly waiting to start the plan for the day. That plan involved, messing around in the kitchen and watching the films she had brought. Unfortunately, they didn't get to all of them. But, they were rather interesting films. Some were comedies, some were dramas. It didn't really matter to Steve, he found enjoyment in the ones that they watched.

But, time went by fast. That was such a cliché thing for someone to think, but there was truth in that statement. Everything had been going accordingly. Jacqueline received a call from Fury, she and Steve were to fly back out to New York. S.H.I.E.L.D. had finally obtained a place for Steve to stay. Fury was right. It didn't take them more than a week to sort things out. However, she felt that the time at the safe house was too short. Now, she was on a plane, heading back to civilization, back to work. She really didn't want to head back, at least not right now. Fury had told her that this wasn't a vacation. But hell, it actually felt like it.

Things shifted slightly for the two of them. After their talk, the dynamic between Steve and Jacqueline changed. It wasn't much, but it was a formidable change. Every day after that conversation, she would ask him if he slept through the night. Without going into a lot of detail, he would explain bits of what he dreamt about, or what was mentally plaguing him. She wouldn't talk during it, she remained quiet, giving Steve all the time he needed to get it off his chest. There were moments when he could catch himself and prevent himself from saying any more. There was quite a bit he was keeping from her, despite that, this is what Jacqueline considered progress. There had been a foggy awkwardness lingering after their first meeting. Then, getting shipped off to a safe house together didn't diffuse it at all. It was their talk at the lake that helped break down that wall. She wouldn't say that he completely trusted her all the way, but maybe it was heading in that direction.

On the plane ride back, Jacqueline showed Steve the S.H.I.E.L.D. issued phone and did another run through with how to properly use it. Showed him how to makes calls and how to send text messages. No contacts in his phone, aside from S.H.I.E.L.D., but at least it was something for him to communicate with. She also had to inform him of what was going to take place once they land.

"So, they finally found a place for you to stay at." She explained. "It's just a simple apartment, it should be enough for you to get situated. Once we land, there will be another agent that will drive you to the location."

Immediately, he was confused. He didn't try to hide the look on his face as he stared at her. "Another agent? You're not taking me there?"

Jacqueline paused and gave a small smile, "No, Fury wants to see me once we land. So, he assigned another agent to take care of you."

Silence.

Steve's gaze remained on her, searching for something, she wasn't sure what he was looking for. A few more seconds of silence and he finally nodded his head in compliance before turning his attention out the plane window. Okay, that was a little odd. Jacqueline's brow furrowed, taking a few moments to assess him, she didn't know what to make of that reaction.

Upset? No. Was he disappointed? No, that can't be it. Why would he be disappointed?

She went to say something, but stopped and snapped her mouth shut. The option was poking at her mind. Try and figure it out, or just leave it alone. Going for the latter option, she tried not to think about it. But, it continuously bugged her, especially when she tried to ignore it all together. That never actually makes things go away, it only intensifies them. She tried to sit through them by reading. That didn't do anything for her and she didn't get that far into her book.

About five hours later, the plane touched down in New York. Two SUV's were waiting for them on the tarmac; one for Jacqueline and one for Steve. Their bags were unloaded by the agents and placed in their respective cars. After stepping off the plane, Jacqueline tried to ease whatever tension had formed between them during the flight.

She offered a smile once he was standing in front of her. "The car over there is yours," Steve turned to the direction that she motioned at. There, he saw two agents standing next to the SUV, waiting for him. "I know them, you'll be fine. They'll drive you to your apartment and help you settle in."

Steve turned back to her and nodded. He looked perplexed like he was trying to figure out what to say to her. He could tell her what he was actually thinking, but decided against it. Fury needed to see her. She needed to leave. "Thank you."

Her smile broadened. "You don't need to thank me."

At that moment, Steve cracked the faintest smile. He had thanked her many times during their stay up in Vancouver. Jacqueline always alternated her answer between 'you're welcome', and 'you don't need to thank me'. She never seemed to be annoyed by it, at least, he felt like he was annoying her with the constant gratitude he was showing her. But, she never was. Rather, she found it amusing.

But, time was of the essence and this was proven once again when one of the agents walked up to Jacqueline and said, "Agent, the Director is waiting."

Giving a single nod, she dismissed the agent and looked back at Steve. "Like I said, you're in good hands with those guys. You'll be fine." She repeated the words, hoping that Steve trusted them.

His smile completely faded, which was jarring to her. Without saying another word, Steve turned and began the walk towards the car that was waiting for him. Jacqueline watched for a second more before being escorted towards her vehicle. Not even halfway, she paused and looked back at Steve's retreating form. His hands were stashed in his pockets and his head was down. She recognized it immediately, the way his shoulders tensed. He was anxious, uncertain. That's when it hit her, his inquiry about her not being the one to go with him.

She felt a little stupid. She should have been able to notice it when they were on the plane. He was going to be in the company of people he didn't know. That was most likely an unsettling thing. When he reached the SUV, Jacqueline broke out into a sprint in his direction. Fury probably wasn't going to be happy with what she was about to do, but she felt it was necessary. One of the agents who was speaking with Steve, paused when he saw Jacqueline heading for them.

"Agent." He greeted her once she was close.

Jacqueline came to a stop, eyes completely focused on the agent in front of her, even though Steve was staring at her. And for a moment she was lost in thought, not being able to remember what she ran over here for. "Uh," she turned to look at Steve, trying to recall what she was doing. Finally, she remembered. Turning to the agent, she had a smile plastered on her face. "I will be accompanying Captain Rogers to his apartment."

The agent gave her a look, knowing perfectly well that's not where she was supposed to be. At this, Jacqueline conjured up an answer. "I am aware that Director Fury asked to see me, but tell him that I will be escorting Captain Rogers to his apartment and then I'll return to headquarters promptly afterward."

After a brief hesitant moment, the agent nodded and over the comms as he walked over to the driver's side. "Lancer is leaving with Captain Rogers."

She felt rather good about herself. But, she hoped that Fury would understand her decision. Honestly, she was willing to accept any kind of scolding he might give her. Looking over at Steve, his posture had loosened and the tension that was evident to her eyes was gone. "Shall we go see your new place?"

Steve's apartment was located a relative distance from headquarters. Jacqueline's apartment was not that far from his, she estimated it would be a fifteen-minute to get from one location to the other. The building itself was fine, nothing too grand, just like hers. But, it was decent enough. And it was rather quiet for an apartment complex. It was probably why they chose this location for him.

Jacqueline told the agents to wait in the car, she wouldn't take long. Taking the elevator up to the fourth floor, they stepped out into a dimly lit hallway and walked until they found his door. Apartment 4B. Steve took out his key and slid it into the lock. The door slowly swung open, revealing a small apartment. The sitting room was the first thing that greeted them and the kitchen was on the left. Also, the room was fairly dark, something that Jacqueline noted quickly. The source came from the shades, they were drawn more than halfway down.

"Well, it's actually not that bad. Still a little bigger than my place." Jacqueline commented and strolled over to the windows. Pulling the shades up, the room suddenly filled with the mid-afternoon light. Now that there was light, they were able to gain a better view of what the place looked like. She had to admit, it was a rather nice little apartment. It was enough for him, she was sure. Folding her arms over her chest, she glanced over at Steve, who was still admiring his new 'home'. "Is it alright?"

"More than what I'm used to." He closed the door behind him. "The place I lived in back in Brooklyn was smaller than this."

Her face softened. Moments like that were what she enjoyed the most. Hearing him mention little things about his past made it feel like it was slowly breaking new ground for them. It was small steps.

"You said that it was bigger than your place?"

His question brought her back to reality and she couldn't help but laugh at her choice of words. She probably could have chosen better words. Oh well. "Okay, yeah. My place is kinda small. But, I'm the only one who lives there, so, it's perfect for me."

Steve nodded while taking more assessments of his new home. It didn't feel like home. He felt alienated while standing in this place. He had already grown accustomed to the safe house. Now, he was going to have to make another adjustment. "You were right about one thing."

"What's that?"

"I do prefer the safe house."

She smiled at his words and Steve took notice at how full this smile was. The sides of her eyes wrinkled and her nose scrunched up. That was the first full smile he had seen from her. All the other occasions were just faint smirks. He didn't know why his statement deserved this kind of reaction, but he was rather glad it happened.

"You know, while we were up there, I remembered how Fury explained that it wasn't a vacation," she paused and shrugged her shoulders, "It actually kinda felt like one."

She slid her bag off of her shoulder and placed it down on the sitting room table. Inside had all of the movies she brought and the CD's she made for him. They didn't get through all she had brought with her. So, Jacqueline told Steve that he could keep these. Finish the movies and keep the CDs.

"Are you sure you want to leave those here?" Steve gestured at the bag on the table.

Jacqueline nodded. "You finish the movies, plus you have a lot of music to get through." She thought for a moment, then continued. "Besides, these can help pass the time."

There wasn't much for him to do. Sure, he could go out and walk around, only if he wanted to. He wouldn't necessarily know where to go, or what to do. Watching movies seemed to be the only thing he could do. But, Fury was waiting for her. She couldn't stay here very long. He was probably already upset that she didn't go straight to headquarters, but she would explain her side once she arrived. Giving a hesitant look, she finally asked, "Are you going to be okay here?"

The hesitation in her eyes rubbed off on him. Was he going to be okay? He silently asked himself the same thing. This was not the safe house. This was a new place. Another adjustment would have to be made on his part. Was he going to be okay? Most likely, yes. But, one difference was poking the edges of his mind and he blurted it out without thinking.

"I'll be fine. It's just going to be different, not having you here." Jacqueline stared at Steve, a little surprised by his words, and he noticed. "I mean; I've known what the routine was going to be for over a week. It's just going to be different, waking up and not knowing what I'm going to do."

That seemed to save this conversation. Even so, she didn't seem uncomfortable by his first declaration. "Well, this won't be the last you see of me. I'll be back to check up on you periodically. See how you're doing. You'll be fine."

"Yeah."

She had to go. But, to leave on this note, it would be so awkward and just not right. Biting down on her lip, she said, "I'm gonna need to head out. Do you need anything? Is there anything I can get for you?"

No, well actually… "There is something," He wasn't sure if this request would be weird, but he continued on. "Is there any way that you could get the files on a few people? Like Peggy, Bucky. Anything about my missions in the war, or just," he shrugged at his inability to fully explain his request, "just anything on me."

Luckily, she was able to catch onto his request. "Of course." Jacqueline didn't know whether this would be a good idea or not. Steve was the judge of himself. If he wanted to see these, then he was gonna see them. "When I go back to headquarters, I'll search for those files and get them to you as soon as I can."

Steve nodded.

"Can I see your phone?" Jacqueline reached her hand out, waiting for Steve to hand it over. When he did, she opened it and went into contacts. "I'm putting my number in your contacts. If you ever need anything, or if you have a question, or if you just need to talk. It doesn't matter when just call if you need to." She handed the phone back over to him, asking herself why she didn't do this earlier. Probably would have made a lot of sense, she just wasn't thinking about it.

"I'll try not to abuse that offer."

"Don't worry about it." She smiled, making sure that he didn't need anything else and then walked over to the front door.

"Jacqueline." She paused, her smile grew slightly as she turned back towards him. "I've said it a lot but, thank you. For all, you've done. I know it was part of your job, but, just… thanks."

"It was part of my job, but I really did want to help you. And you're welcome." She then pointed at the phone in his hand. "I mean it, if you need anything, call me. Alright?"

"Yes, ma'am."

 _Ma'am_. Her smile broadened, it was a rarity when someone called her that. She would always be addressed with Miss. For being frozen for nearly seventy years, at least it didn't tarnish that old class charm. "I'll try and get back with the files as soon as I can."

* * *

 _Access Granted._

The keypad lit up after Jacqueline swiped her I.D., unlocking the door in front of her. Pushing through, she jogged through the main lobby and towards the elevator. She was pushing the time. Fury was already made aware that she was going with Steve. Still, she didn't want to keep Fury waiting too long. Switching the plan at the last minute probably won't help her case. She bounced on her toes, watching the level number slowly go up. Could this thing go any slower?

With a ding, the elevator doors opened, but she didn't until they were fully open. She slipped through a wide enough slit and ran all the way down to Fury's office. Reaching his office door, she paused and took in a breath, repeating the phrase, You're fine. You're fine. Fury could be intimidating. When she first started working for S.H.I.E.L.D., it was embarrassing to admit, but she was very intimidated by Fury. Of course, over the years, she grew accustomed to his personality and how he approached things.

She took one last deep breath and pushed open his office door. There he was, sitting at his desk, mulling over files that were scattered over the desktop. He didn't seem like her being late had affected him. He was just sitting in his chair, completely still. "I thought you were supposed to be here way sooner."

Jacqueline paused at his desk and pressed her lips together. "Sorry, I'm late." That was such a weak rebuttal. She could have done better.

Abandoning the file, he looked up at her and leaned back in his chair, "They told me you took Rogers to his apartment." A mere nod was her answer. "I already had another agent assigned to that task."

"I was aware of that. But, I felt that it would be much easier if I just went with him."

Fury hummed. Not in disagreement, but rather—actually she wasn't quite sure. It wasn't always an easy task to decipher what Fury was thinking. That came from being able to maintain a fantastic poker face. But, with him just staring at her, she knew that there was more for her to say. "I am sorry for just switching around the plan. It won't happen again."

He didn't respond. But, she swore that she saw the faint appearance of a smile on his face. That was different. "How was it?" When she gave him a confused look, Fury elaborated, "The stay in Vancouver?"

"Right." She took a brief moment to recollect what had happened the last week and a half. So much, but going into detail about their conversations didn't seem right. For right now, she would keep that between her and Steve. "It was fine. A lot of watching things and explaining things. It was rather exhausting, to be honest."

"But, I'm sure that it helped him out a lot."

She nodded. "It seems like it. He constantly thanked me, so I'm pretty sure that he was rather grateful for the help."

"How do you think he really is?"

There was no need for him to clarify his question. Jacqueline caught onto the full meaning of it. Depression was something that she thought of the day they left for Vancouver. She had made a mental note to talk with Fury about the matter. Perhaps, getting Rogers to talk with an actual professional. "That's not something that I'll be able to answer fully, sir."

"Your best guess then."

"I mean, he's not one-hundred percent alright. He didn't get that much rest while we were up there."

"Did he talk to you about anything?"

"Not really." Her thoughts immediately went to their conversation by the lake. It wasn't that deep or revealing. But, more was revealed in that conversation than she had anticipated. "We just talked. Nothing really in particular. But, I think he managed to open up a little."

Fury nodded, contemplating what she had told him. "Do you think we should refer him to a psychologist?" She asked. "I'm not a doctor, but I know that all of this must have messed with him a little. Given his circumstances, anyone would be able to figure that out."

"We can't force him to do anything. If we felt that he was a harm to himself or others, then we would probably intervene."

He had a point. Jacqueline couldn't just walk in and say to Steve they were taking him to a psychologist. "Maybe we could bring it up to him. See if he would consider it. I mean, it's better than allowing him to just keep all of it bottled up inside."

Fury tilted his head to the side, suddenly curious. "You're pretty concerned about him, aren't you.?"

Was she? There was no point in lying to herself about that. There was nothing wrong with being concerned about someone. Nothing wrong at all. "I just spent a week and a half with him. Just the two of us. I've seen him vulnerable," she paused, thinking back on the morning when she saw Steve with red, swollen eyes. "I know it's kind of a long stretch for me to say this. But, out of everyone working at S.H.I.E.L.D. right now, I have a better understanding of him."

That was a really bold statement. She almost regretted it once the words left her mouth. However, there was a degree of truth in there. The only person still alive who knew Steve better than anyone was Peggy. Jacqueline has spent one-on-one time with Steve, seen him in a normal environment. He wasn't fighting or going on missions. She saw him as just Steve.

"If you want to bring the subject up to him, then go ahead. And if he agrees, we will start making preparations."

"Fine by me."

They both were in an agreement. Honestly, that was probably the fasted agreement they've ever made with each other. A calm gaze fell over Fury's face as he stared at her, almost like there was something he wasn't telling her.

Prompted by the look, Jacqueline raised her brow at him, "Are we finished here, sir?"

"Barton gave me an update on the Tesseract."

 _What?_

"Apparently, the Tesseract has been emitting activity spikes."

Jacqueline frowned. That didn't sound good. "Activity spikes? How high are the levels?"

"Barton said they were still fairly low. But, this is the first time it's happened since Selvig started researching the thing."

There was something odd with the way that Fury's voice sounded. It was enough to inform her that he had some suspicions. "Do you think Selvig is the cause for it?"

"Barton's been keeping a watchful eye on him. I think I'll keep my suspicions on a low for now. If the activity increases, we'll need to fly out to the facility."

"You want me to come with you."

"That's why I'm informing you."

Jacqueline nodded. "Okay, well, if that happens then just let me know."

"I will." Fury gave a small gesture, "You're dismissed."

That wasn't as bad.

Jacqueline thought as she made her way onto the elevator. She had expected Fury to go into some kind of spiel for being late. But, he seemed to be rather understanding. Thank god for that. As the elevator began its descent, Jacqueline stepped back and rested against the wall. Thinking back on her conversation with Fury, about possibly referring Steve to a psychologist, she had to find a logical way of approaching the topic. She couldn't just walk up to Steve and say, I think you're pretty messed up and need to see a psychologist. It had to be an approach that didn't seem off-putting.

Still, the information about the Tesseract bounced around her head. It was rather peculiar. The entire time S.H.I.E.L.D. had it, they've never recorded any kind of activity spike. And then, Selvig comes in and a few short months later, the thing starts to act up. Fury had his suspicions and so did Jacqueline. Not that she had anything against the professor. She met him when she brought Barton to the facility. Fury had commanded her to recruit Barton to watch over the research. Selvig was an interesting guy. For a professor, he was rather laid back. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who would purposefully sabotage a cube of unworldly energy source.

The elevator stopped on the fourth floor and the doors opened to reveal an all too familiar face. Just seeing the person made Jacqueline smile. "Hey, Gab."

Gabby, who didn't expect to bump into her, grinned and hopped into the elevator. "Well, look at you! Back from your little trip with the Captain."

"Gab, please, don't start making it sound all weird."

"Why not?" The raven-haired girl questioned and mimicked Jacqueline's stance; back against the wall and arms clutching files to her chest. "It's a pretty big deal. Especially since it was with Captain America, who up until like a week ago, everyone thought was dead."

"It was fine," Jacqueline answered, hoping that it would satisfy her friend's curiosity. But, having known Gabby for about nearly ten years, there was bound to be more questioning.

"That's a pretty stale answer. You got to spend a whole week with him. You've got to give me some details. What did you do? What is he like?" The grin was evident in her voice. Jacqueline didn't need to see it, to know it was there.

"I don't think it would be appropriate for me to talk about this right now."

Gabby frowned. "Always wanting to be professional."

"Well we are at work, aren't we?" Jacqueline tilted her head back and glanced at Gabby, seeing the latter roll her eyes. But, it only made both girls smile.

"Where are you heading?"

"Archives."

"What a coincidence, me too." Gabby side-eyed her friend, "why are you heading down to archives?"

"Steve asked for some files. So, I told him that I would bring them over." Jacqueline replied, staring up at the number display.

"Oh," Gabby smirked. "So, you went with Steve to his apartment."

"Gab, stop." She cast a glance over at her friend. "Stop making a big deal out of it."

"Well, you're the only S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who's spent an adequate amount of time with him. I just find that kind of amusing."

"Whatever you say, Gab."

The elevator dinged and opened the door to their floor. They both stepped out, their shoes clicked against the linoleum floor. The hallway had a decent amount of trafficking. That was expected. Everyone is either putting files away or retrieving files. Gabby worked as an assistant for Maria Hill and also technically, Fury as well. But, she mostly took orders from Hill. No doubt Hill asked her to take back the files that she was clutching to her chest. They swiped their cards and pushed through the archive entrance.

"So, what kind of files are you getting for him?"

Jacqueline, at first, ignored her friend's question as she headed for one of the aisles. "It's just some files that he wants to see." She answered, stopping in front of one of the cabinets, she pulled out the drawer and started sifting through the files.

Gabby casually sauntered over and stood on the opposite side of the cabinet. "Yes. But, what are the files about?"

Jacqueline skimmed through the files, pulling out one after the other. She paused when she saw her grandmother's file, would it be a good idea to show him this? Why not? He knew her grandmother well, it wasn't like he was a total stranger. She pulled out the file and clutched it to her chest. "Is it really any of your business Gabby?"

Now, her friend was growing impatient, more on the playful side. "Oh come on. It's not like I don't know what half of these files are about."

"Do you know what every single file contains?"

"No," Gabby replied, clearly confused by this question. "And neither do you."

"Fair enough."

Gabby watched Jacqueline pull out more files. At one point, she grabbed a box, there was no way Jacqueline was going to carry all of those files out of here without one. With Gabby holding the box, one by one, Jacqueline placed the files inside. When it was completely full, and she was sure that was all the files she needed, Gabby closed the box and handed it over to Jacqueline.

"Thank you." She took the box by the handles and blew out a breath.

"You're gonna take all of that back to him." Jacqueline gave her a look, obviously. "Can I go?"

Jacqueline paused and then her features morphed into a questioning look. She looked at Gabby like she had said something crazy. "What, no. Why?"

"Just thought it would be interesting to meet him. Plus, it's the only thing people around have been discussing. There's so much hype around him."

Those words, it made Jacqueline groan. "You sound just like Tony."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

 _God, shut up Jackie._ "It's not important."

After reminding Gabby a few times, she finally went about with putting away the files she had brought with her. Partly due to her wanting to get the files to Steve and also, she was hoping it would get them off the subject of Steve for a brief moment. The two of them made only mindless chatter. Short conversations that ended fairly quickly. That is until Gabby brought up the subject of Jacqueline's father.

"Hey, how's your dad?"

Luckily, Gabby had waited until they were out of the archives. Still, it really did put a damper on the mood and she was able to sense it. But, before she could apologize or change the subject, Jacqueline answered her.

"He's fine." That wasn't exactly the truth, but it wasn't a lie either. Her father wasn't in the worst possible state, but he wasn't completely fine. "I mean, fine is probably not the right word. He's managing." Even that's not the right word.

"Is there any sign that he might be getting better?" Her question was hopeful. She had grown to view Jacqueline's parents as family. They sure as hell treated her like she was their own. John's diagnosis was a shock to her system when Jacqueline first told her. And, even though there wasn't a cure, she was hopeful. Hopeful that he would get better. Wishful thinking. That's all that was.

"No. If anything, he's just slowly getting worse."

Out of extreme guilt for bringing it up, Gabby chose to keep her mouth shut. She knew better. They hardly talked about Jacqueline's father, unless he randomly came up during their discussions. Gabby always felt bad for mentioning him. Jacqueline would always assure her that it was fine. It wasn't like she could completely avoid talking about her father and why would she want to? She loved talking about him, it's just—fucking Alzheimer's.

When they made it back on the elevator, Gabby decided to try and reverse what she did. "Hey, you know what? My brother Mike is coming to town soon. Why don't we all have dinner together?"

It sounded like a good idea.

"I've finally mastered my mom's best Korean recipes, so, you and my brother will be able to enjoy the glorious mess that is my cooking."

Was she really up for it? Jacqueline didn't know why she had to ask herself that. Spending evenings with Gabby is always entertaining. Away from work, Gabby is the most enthusiastic person Jacqueline's ever known. Not really caring what people think and sometimes doesn't have a filter on her mouth. The latter can be both amusing and embarrassing. There have been countless times where Gabby's words have garnered stares in public. Most of the time, Jacqueline laughs it off. But, every once in a while, she had to put on the 'mom' voice with her friend.

"It sounds like fun," Jacqueline replied and upon further debate, finally said, "if nothing comes up during that time, then yeah, I'll be more than happy to have dinner with you guys."

"Awesome!" Gabby gleefully squealed. Just the slightest possibility of having dinner together made her day. Their jobs have kept them both occupied. Running into each other at work was the only interaction they would get. This whole trip to the archives is possibly one of the longest interactions they've had while working.

"Oh, by the way, have you gone to visit Peggy recently?"

That was kind of an out of nowhere question. Pausing to watch the red floor numbers count down, she finally turned to her friend, "No." A sudden jolt of panic shot through her nerves. "Why, did something happen?"

"No," Gabby assured. "It's just that I talked with Sharon a few days ago."

Jacqueline nodded, feeling her body ease again. "How is she? Peggy?"

"Sharon said that she's doing fine. But, she said that Peggy really wants to see you." Gabby couldn't help it; she side-eyed Jacqueline, to which her friend merely sighed.

"I know; I want to visit her but I just… not right now. I'm too busy. Plus, with the whole Steve being alive thing, it just kinda makes things…different. I don't know how it just does."

"No, I understand what you mean." Gabby hummed, "Well if you don't want to visit her yet, you could at least give her a call."

Jacqueline cringed at the subtle message behind Gabby's words. "I have been pretty neglectful, haven't I?"

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Jackie. You know what everyone says; real life always gets in the way of everything. I'm pretty sure Peggy would understand that."

Probably. No, Gabby was right. Peggy was perhaps one of the most understanding people Jacqueline has ever known. Still, she felt guilty. Not being able to fly out to Washington due to her schedule was one thing. But, the fact that she didn't try to maintain phone calls was unacceptable in her mind. That's what she was going to do later. She was going to call Peggy.

...

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry for the lack of phone calls and visits," Jacqueline pushed through her apartment door, closed it with her foot, and set down her keys on the table. "Things have just been slowly getting more hectic at work."

Peggy chuckled softly on the other end, _"You don't have to explain it to me. I know exactly how S.H.I.E.L.D. is like."_ Jacqueline smiled, of course she would, she helped found the organization. _"Don't worry about coming out to visit. Just being able to talk to you on the phone is good enough for me."_

That guilt she had felt earlier, some of it melted away from hearing those words. But, when Peggy went into a coughing fit, a bit of it slowly came back. "I promise I'll come out to see you soon."

 _"It's alright, dear."_ Peggy cleared her throat several times, trying to regain her voice. _"How is everything? Work? Your father?"_

"Work is fine. Just quite a bit has been going on," Peggy hummed again, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "And my dad," she paused and settled herself down on the couch, "he's not getting any better. But, he's fine."

Jacqueline always found it sadly ironic when she spoke about her father with Peggy. Peggy's memories of her father were still well intact. Her father on the other hand, not so much. It's a lot harder for him to recall memories. Especially ones that happened early on in his life. Peggy was one of those memories, as was Howard. "I've asked my mom if we should consider putting him in a home, but, she doesn't want to hear any of that."

 _"Your mother just wants to take care of him. She wants him to be safe."_

"It's not like he can't be safe living in a home." Jacqueline quietly recounted. The decision to move Peggy into a home was a hassle free decision. She understood it was done to help her so that she could live more comfortably and get round the clock care. That's all Jacqueline wants for her father. Her mother was just a stubborn woman.

 _"I wouldn't argue with your mother on this matter,"_ Peggy advised, she knew Kathleen all too well. She's been a witness to that woman's determination and stubbornness. _"You know that it won't end with you winning."_

"No, I know."

 _"Tony called me earlier last week,"_ Jacqueline's attention spiked at this and her brow raised up in curiosity, _"he said that you were in Vancouver, with Steve."_

Peggy's voice softened and tapered off towards the end. But, Jacqueline has wished that Tony didn't say anything. She wanted to be the one to tell Peggy. "Yeah, I was."

 _"I still can't believe it…he's alive."_

The current moment felt bittersweet. For almost seventy years, Peggy grieved for Steve. Rightfully believing that he was dead, she worked hard to sustain his legacy and memory, all the while battling her own personal heartache. Now, after all these years, she learns that he was still alive. Jacqueline wasn't there when she heard this information. But, she could imagine that Peggy was most likely shell-shocked by it. Now, she had him back, relatively speaking.

 _"How is he?"_

She didn't want to worry Peggy. Jacqueline had her own concerns when it came to Steve. Before returning to her apartment, she stopped by Steve's place, to drop off the files. He had tried watching one of the movies she had left, having to abandon it halfway through. She didn't stay long. He looked exhausted, lack of sleep was catching up to him. He looked drained, beaten like he could hardly keep himself up straight. Jacqueline decided to leave and let him sleep, making sure to remind him that he could call her if he needed anything. But, hopefully, he'll be too busy sleeping through the night to call her.

"He's," She was trying to think of what to say to her. Jacqueline didn't want to lie, yet she didn't want Peggy to be concerned. She finally settled for something in the middle. "Physically, he's fine. He was a little tired when I last checked up on him. Mentally, I'm not sure. I know that none of this can be easy for him."

 _"No, it can't be."_ Peggy breathed out, the sadness was dripping from her voice, _"it's a miracle, really."_

Memories of Peggy telling Jacqueline stories about him came hurling back at her. The love and care she saw in Peggy's eyes when she spoke of him. Just thinking about it, combining with talking to her, it made her choke up. She didn't know why. "He wants to come and see you." Jacqueline paused and cleared her throat, she heard the way her voice wavered. "I told him he was more than welcome to, but I thought I should let him decide on his own time."

 _"It's for the best, the last thing you want to do is crowd him."_

Jacqueline nodded. On the other end of the line, she could hear a woman's voice in the background. Most likely Peggy's nurse who made daily rounds. _"Jacqueline, I need you to promise me something."_ The way Peggy's voice sounded, she knew that this conversation was going to end soon.

"Of course, anything Peggy."

 _"Stay close to him."_ She blinked at Peggy's words, a little gobsmacked by them. A reply was forming in her throat when Peggy spoke again. _"I trust you, help him, make sure that he's alright. Don't let him go through all of this on his own. Promise?"_

Her teeth bit down on her bottom lip. She sounded so genuine. Genuine worry and care. The only thing Jacqueline latched onto was that Peggy was trusting her with this. She was trusting her that Steve would be fine under her watch. That was the only motivation she needed. "I promise."

* * *

 **A/N:** I apologize for the wait. School has been a hassle, I was going through writer's block and my laptop crashed. So, I wasn't able to finish this chapter up when I wanted too. And, I know these first few chapters have been slow, but the next one is when things get picked up. That's because it's when we get into The Avengers! Hope you all are excited! A review is much appreciated!

(edited 6/10/18)


	6. Part I: VI

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel. All original characters are of my creation**

* * *

 _Four days later._

 _Apartment 4B._

 _..._

 _Apartment 4B_

Alex repeated the words as he walked down the dimly lit hallway. This felt weird. He was only here because Jacqueline couldn't be. He and Jacqueline were talking in the lounge when she got a call from Hill. Fury had received word from Coulson that the Tesseract was maintaining a high activity spike and that they couldn't get it under control. Jacqueline needed to quickly suit up, and she was rather annoyed with the fact. She had planned on heading over to check on Steve. And she felt uncomfortable with doing nothing, so she turned to the next best thing, Alex.

 _"I just need you to go and check on him. I haven't seen him in like three days, so please, just go and see how he's doing."_

Alex couldn't exactly say no. He recalled the look on her face, she seemed a little upset. The last thing Jacqueline wanted to do was send agents over to his apartment who were unfamiliar to him. Luckily, he had met Alex before. Even though the meeting was brief, it wasn't like Steve wouldn't recognize him. At least, she hoped that he would remember him. And Alex found himself hoping the same exact thing. Still, he felt like he was intruding on something. Jacqueline was the only agent who was having constant access to Rogers. The only person he had grown comfortable with seeing. He sucked in a breath at the mental image of what Steve's reaction will be when he opens the door to him.

Standing in front of Steve's apartment, he blew out a breath and shrugged his shoulders. We're about to find out. He knocked twice and waited. Leaning his ear towards the door, he could make out the faint scuffling of shoes against the floor. They were slow, not much urgency was held in the movements. When the lock was being fumbled with, Alex returned to his normal stance and when the door was opened, he was greeted with a very tired Steve Rogers. He was clutching onto a small pile of papers in his right hand and had hair that was slightly disheveled. That wasn't the image Alex was expecting to see.

 _Damn. He looked like hell._ Good thing he didn't say that out loud.

Apparently, Alex had been staring at him a little too long. He saw the expectant look on Steve's face and he quickly cleared his throat. "Captain Rogers, I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm Alex Devane." He slowly stuck his hand out to Steve, who took hold of his, while keeping his eyes on the agent.

Finally, Steve remembered. "We met before I left for Vancouver."

"Yes, that's correct." Alex pulled his hand back and silence was the only thing that followed. He had no idea how to carry on a conversation with the guy. He didn't even know him. Of course, that shouldn't matter. But, this time it was just different.

Steve finally caught himself and moved to make way, "I'm sorry, uh, please come in."

Alex nodded. "Thank you." He quickly sauntered past Steve and stood awkwardly in the apartment, taking immediate notice of the condition of the place. There was nothing but papers strewn across a small table, with an open box on the floor. Taking slow steps, he approached the scene, eyes scanning the documents. They were from SHIELD.

"Not that I'm trying to be rude, but may I ask why you're here, agent?"

Alex immediately turned around and rubbed his chin. "Right. Agent Lewis…Jackie," he corrected himself, "She was planning on coming over to check up on you. But, she got called away for something and asked me to, you know, come and see how you were."

Steve nodded.

Alex watched him closely. It was like someone dragged him through hell and back. Like he was barely keeping it together. It reminded him of how he was, after his fourth mission. Long story short, a slip up got one of his teammates killed. Alex remembered every detail of that event, what it sounded like, looked like and what it all smelt like. All the blood. It fucked him up. Of course, his situation and Steve's were two completely different scenarios. But, Alex suffered from PTSD after his experience and from that, there came lack of sleep. No doubt in his mind, with all the changes he was facing, Steve had to be suffering to some extent.

"Are you alright man?" The question startled Steve, almost like he had been jolted from sleep. He saw the look in Alex's eyes; concern. Steve would have answered him, but he was so used to that question coming from Jacqueline. Plus, didn't know this guy at all.

"Listen, I know that we don't know each other, like at all." Alex read his mind perfectly well. "But, I can tell just by looking at you that you haven't been getting much sleep."

Steve contemplated Alex's words and abandoned the papers in his hands, dropping them onto the kitchen counter. "I've gotten enough sleep."

"Not to sound insensitive, I don't think your time under the ice should count." Steve's lips twitched the edges, barely forming a smile. At least he took Alex's statement with understanding. "When was the last time you even ventured out of this place?"

"I've gone out," Steve retorted, weakly. "I've gone on walks, nothing more than that."

"So, other than that, you've just been locked up in here, reading over files." Alex pointed back at the mess that was on Steve's table. He only nodded.

Looking at what he was dealing with, Alex had two options. One, he could leave Steve alone and see if he needed anything. And that seemed a little harsh to him. Or, option two, Alex could… "Alright, let's go." It was a sudden decision. This was the option he was going with. "Come on, get your jacket and let's go."

Steve could only stare at him with confusion. "What? Where are we going?"

"At the moment, I'm not sure, but I know that I can't just let you stay here. So, let's go."

Steve still didn't move. He just stood there, staring at Alex like he had just told him something crazy. But, the agent wasn't going to let this slip through his fingers. "I'm doing this because I know that if Jackie was here, she would be doing the same thing. So, let's go."

* * *

 _Mojave Desert, California_

 _..._

The sight of the facility came into full view as the helicopter approached the landing pad outside the building. Jacqueline could spot crowds of people evacuating the site and trucks being loaded. Despite being an evac, it looked oddly calm. The helicopter finally landed in front of the entrance to the facility with Coulson waiting for them near the landing pad. Hill slid open the door, allowing Fury to step out. The two agents exited after him, the propellers still turning, causing Jacqueline to cringe as Fury began to speak with Coulson.

"How bad is it?" Fury asked above the lowering roar of the propellers.

"That's the problem, sir, we don't know."

Fury took a moment and then motioned at them to follow, "Brief us on the way in."

Maria and Jacqueline followed closely behind as Coulson began to brief what had occurred the past few hours. "You were contacted a few days earlier about small activity spikes. Selvig maintained a close watch on the levels, but they didn't seem to raise any higher."

They made it to the elevator and took it down to the lower level of the facility. When the elevator came to a stop, all four occupants stepped out and walked down the hallway. "Four hours ago, Selvig read a test energy surge from the Tesseract."

That made Fury stop in his tracks. "We didn't authorize for a test phase,"

"That's the thing, sir. Selvig wasn't testing it, he wasn't even in the room when it happened."

That didn't make any sense. "You're saying as if the thing just turned itself on," Coulson turned back to look at Jacqueline, as they continued their walk. "Something had to trigger it in some way."

"If there was, we weren't able to locate it."

"Where are the energy levels now?" Fury continued.

"They are climbing. Selvig tried to shut it down, but couldn't. After that, we ordered for the evacuation."

"How long will it take to get everyone out."

"About a half hour."

Fury paused and turned to Coulson, "You make sure it's cleared out by then." The agent nodded and left them to return with helping the evac. Fury motioned for the remaining agents to follow him to the testing room. They all remained quiet, that is until they were descending a stairwell. "Sir, I'm not sure the evacuation would do any good," Maria spoke up.

"You expect me to make everyone stay here?"

"Coulson said it himself, Selvig wasn't able to shut down the Tesseract. If we can't contain its energy, there may not be a safe distance for anyone."

It was a rather good point; Jacqueline caught onto what Maria was bringing attention to. "I think Agent Hill may have something here, sir," Fury stopped and turned to the women. "Selvig studies this thing for a mere few months and suddenly it just decides to turn on. Plus, they couldn't find anything that could have triggered it. Not to mention that fact that Selvig can't keep it under control. The power source that this cube contains is something we haven't been able to understand yet. What makes you think there will be any safe distance when we don't even know the full capacity this thing is capable of?"

She didn't want him to think that she was speaking against him, she wasn't. It was simply the act of raising another potential. Clearly, neither of them wanted anyone to get hurt if this thing did go haywire. But, would they be able to ensure that. This was something that had to be approached from all angles.

Turning his attention to Maria and leaned closer, whispering something to her. Jacqueline tried her best to make out what he had said but was unsuccessful. It almost seemed like he had ignored what Jacqueline had told him, which irritated her, but she knew that he heard her.

"Get on it, Agent Hill."

Maria hesitated and then challenged him, "Sir, is that really something that should be a priority right now?"

"We need to make sure that we have all of our available options prepared. Get the protocol's out."

There was a tense silence that followed. Jacqueline almost thought that Maria would challenge him more. She's seen it happen a few times. It was always awkward after a confrontation between the two. But, out of the corner of her eye, Jacqueline saw the agent glance over at her. In response, she merely nodded to her. Maria finally gave Fury her compliance and left with three other agents. Yeah, she didn't seem too happy about this. Still, she was curious as to what they were talking about.

Fury turned to Jacqueline. "Lewis, with me."

Jacqueline followed Fury into the testing room, where they were greeted with the sight of scientists and Selvig working with the Tesseract. "Talk to me doctor," Fury called out, garnering Selvig's attention. "What's the status?"

"Director. Agent Lewis," he greeted them quickly. "The Tesseract is misbehaving, sir."

"Is that supposed to be funny?"

Selvig approached them and began to escort them over to the Tesseract. "The activity spikes that we received a few days ago didn't raise any concerns. We managed to keep it under relative control. But, when we received the higher spike, it started behaving differently."

"What do you mean differently?" Jacqueline questioned as they came to a stop. "Isn't there any way you can just shut off whatever is sustaining it?"

"It's an energy source, Agent Lewis. No matter what we do, it just turns it all back on."

"Didn't you have some kind of plan prepared for something like this?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Without full knowledge of what this thing is capable of, there was really no way of developing emergency protocols." He approached a monitor that was showcasing the levels, "It's not just misbehaving. I'm getting interference, radiation signatures, specifically gamma."

"That's not good." Fury commented.

In the distance, her eyes spotted Barton, perched up on the railings, peering down at them. A thin smile stretched her lips, "Excuse me." She walked past Selvig and approached the direction in which Barton was at. Once she was standing close enough, she looked up at him, "You comfortable?"

"You know I prefer heights."

"Well, you wanna come down here so we can figure out what's going on?"

Clint hovered on the idea and then shrugged, "Since you asked so nicely."

Jacqueline stepped back and watch Clint slid down the rope from his position. "How are the parents?" Clink asked once he was on the ground. Jacqueline merely smiled.

"You know that I'm not here to have small talk."

"Oh, we might as well." They both began their walk back to where Fury was still speaking with Selvig. "It's been a few months since I last saw you."

"True." Jacqueline mulled over her own thoughts before finally saying, "They're fine."

"That didn't sound too official."

"Well, did you really expect some kind of miracle?" She questioned and gazed at him briefly, spotting the sympathy etched into his features immediately.

"Sorry for bringing it up."

She didn't take it too hard, it was understandable where he was coming from. To show no harm was done, she gave him a few shoulder pats. It was all coming from a good place. "So, I want you to tell me, have you seen anything that might have ticked off this whole thing?"

Clint perched up an eyebrow and glanced down at her, "You mean, do I think that Selvig and his team are responsible?"

She only raised her brows in response.

"You told me that I was to keep an eye on everything that was going on," he recalled. "With that said, I don't think he's responsible. Honestly, he doesn't seem like someone who purposefully mess with this thing."

"That should make me feel better, but it doesn't."

"Now, you got me confused," he answered, his eyes fixed on Fury and Selvig. "Why not?"

"If Selvig or anyone on his team didn't trigger this thing, then what the hell did?"

"Well," Clint paused, thinking on the theory he had pulled together during his watch. "From what we've learned this thing acts as a portal, you know, a doorway, right?"

"From what I've been told, I suppose you're right."

"Okay, if no one on our side messed with it. That means it's being messed with on the other side." To say she was a little creeped out by Clint's words would be an understatement. "So, if it's being messed with on the other side, maybe something's trying to get through."

Okay, that was probably a little bit much. He was testing her. "You're just trying to mess with me, aren't you?"

"Why would I be messing with you?"

She glanced up at Clint, hoping there would be some truth to her question. There wasn't. He was serious and that made her mind split in half. Was he right? Is there something trying to come through?

Fury approached the agents and addressed Jacqueline first. "Lewis, I need you to go and assist Coulson with helping the evacuation."

She was too busy in her thoughts to comprehend that Fury had just spoken to her. This prompted Clint to nudge her with his elbow, she jumped in place and shook her head. "Sorry. Um, understood sir." Turning to Clint, she gave him a small nudge, "See you later."

...

It wasn't just the evacuation that Jacqueline helped Coulson with. When she found him, he was helping other soldiers with packing up important data from the facility. They needed to get, if not all, as much as they could out of the building. First, she was assigned to helping the evacuation. She monitored the loading of the trucks and helping to secure belongings where they needed to be. Once she felt that she wasn't needed, Jacqueline returned to the facility and met up with Coulson. They started piling on briefcases onto a cart.

Halfway through their job, Coulson decided to bring up Steve. "So, how is he doing?"

"I'm not sure. The last time I saw him was about, three days ago." She placed two briefcases on the cart. "I was planning on going to see him today. But, of course, I got called away for this. So, I asked Alex to check up on him for me." She paused when a sudden thought came to mind. What were they doing? If Alex followed through with what he said, she couldn't help but think about what their interaction must have been like. Plus, she was concerned about how Steve was. Like she said, the last time she went to see him was about three days ago. He seemed fine, which was good, it was better than him getting worse. God, she could only hope that Alex didn't make it awkward for either of them.

"If you had to take a guess, how would you say he's doing?"

"He's probably managing as best he could."

When the cart was full, both agents escorted it out to a truck and began to load the cases. Also, being loaded on the truck were several scientists and few soldiers. Jacqueline was helping them on when the ground shook, throwing her balance off. Her hand instinctively latched onto the car, to keep herself was falling. When it finally subsided, Coulson and Jacqueline both locked their eyes on each other, their expressions reading only one thought: what the hell was that?

They both sprinted back into the building. It could have been only one thing; the Tesseract must have finally gone haywire. And the first thing she thought of was Clint's words. Maybe something's trying to get through. Jacqueline radioed Hill, only to be told that she had no idea what had happened and Fury wasn't answering his. She had to get back down there. Coulson was the one who told her to go and that he would handle the rest of the evac. She did so. Jacqueline ran to the elevator and was practically leaning on her toes in anxiety, as she watched the floor numbers tick down. In her rush, it felt like forever by the time she reached the bottom level. She didn't wait for the doors to open all the way. She darted out and started running. She radioed Hill again, obtaining her location and altered her route to find her. She was in a garage of sorts and when Jacqueline finally reached her, she was a little out of breath.

"Take it easy, Lewis."

"Right, take it easy." Jacqueline breathed out. "Have you tried getting in touch with Fury?"

"Still not answering his radio."

That made Jacqueline confused and uneasy. The last thing someone would want to hear is that their director wasn't answering his radio. Especially after the entire place just shook beneath her feet. "Don't you think that's a little weird."

"Yeah, I do."

"Okay. I'm gonna go and check to see what that was."

Maria nodded. However, both of their attentions were garnered by a group of people walking out of the hallway. Jacqueline turned and saw Clint with Professor Selvig, another agent and some guy wearing strange clothing. What the hell? Her eyes fixed on what he was holding. It looked like a hybrid spear, nothing she's seen before. But, there was something unnatural with the way Clint was holding himself. He just seemed off.

"Clint." Jacqueline tried talking to him, but he walked past her, towards the cars.

"We need to use these vehicles." He didn't wait for Maria to give approval; they were going to take it regardless what she would have said.

Something wasn't right. She continued to watch him, unsettled by how stoic and mechanical he was acting. Then, she noticed it. The way we his hand twitched towards his gun holster. Fury's voice came through Maria's radio.

 _"Hill. Do you copy? Barton's been compromised."_

On cue, Clint turned and aimed his gun at them. Jacqueline jumped out of his aim and took cover behind a concrete pillar. The bullets from his gun pierced the concrete, causing fragments to scatter everywhere. Pulling out her gun, she waited until the first hailstorm was over and then leaned out, and pressed the trigger. Her intent wasn't to injure or kill any of the occupants of the vehicle. She wanted to incapacitate the car. But, her bullets ricocheted off the vehicle. Figures. It was a SHIELD car and of course, it would be armored. But, she kept up with her shooting, until the car was well out of her range.

Maria ran out and went to get into another vehicle. "Go and check on Fury!" She called out as she sped down the tunnel after Clint.

She didn't waste any time. Jacqueline turned and ran back towards the research room. The entire facility began to shake, looking up, she could see cracks being made into the cement roofing. Shit. She picked up her speed, turning around corners and dodging pipes that were being shaken loose from the activity. She couldn't help but feel like she was in a scene of an action movie.

Finally reaching the research room, Fury was stumbling out with a hand pressed up against his abdomen. "Sir!" Jacqueline jogged up to him, grabbing hold of his arm. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Fury, who looked like he was out of breath, shook his head, trying to form words. "Later. We need to get out of here." He placed his hand on Jacqueline's shoulder pushing for both to start running.

It was like a game of dodging. The building's stability was starting to crumble. More of the ceiling was breaking apart, large chunks nearly hitting them. Fury's balance was still off, to the point that she had to help navigate him ensuring that he wouldn't get hit by any of the debris. Not exactly the easiest task. Trying to help stabilize someone while also dodging falling debris is anything but easy. She felt an instant rush of relief when they made it outside and waiting for them was the helicopter.

First, she helped Fury in. While doing so, the ground dented, which made her jump into the helicopter. "Go! Go!" She yelled as loud as she could.

She dashed into the aircraft and slammed the door shut behind her. Both Fury and Jacqueline watched the ground begin to collapse within itself. If they had been there just a few seconds longer, they would be engulfed by that crater. An explosion ripped through the facility's underbelly, light streamed through the cracks and the site to fully caved in itself. Staring out the window, she had a weird sickening feeling infiltrate her stomach.

Where was Maria? Did she make it? How many people are now trapped under all that ruble?

There was no way everyone got out of there. It all happened so quick. There was just no way. She quickly grabbed her walkie. "Hill. Do you have an update on Barton?" No answer. "Hill?" When there was no answer, Jacqueline turned to Fury, her mind frantically thinking of a plan. Last place she had seen Barton was in that garage. And he took off down the south end exit. Quickly, she turned to the pilot, "Head for the south exit!"

"What are you pulling at Lewis?"

"That was the last place I saw Barton. He took one of the vehicles and was heading for the south tunnel. If they managed to drive through all of that, they'll be exiting through there."

The helicopter dipped to the side as the pilot made the turn. Maybe they didn't make it out. That was both good and bad. There's no telling if Clint or Selvig would be able to survive the collapse. On the other side, if they were trapped, that means they wouldn't be able to get anywhere. It was a fifty-fifty shot. Jacqueline spotted the exit and saw the doors opening, allowing only one vehicle to pass through. That had to be them. As the helicopter got closer, she could see that weirdly dressed guy standing on the back. It's them.

Fury seemed to notice it as well. He pulled open the door and knelt, drawing his gun out and began to fire at the vehicle. Jacqueline stood back, deciding that she would save her bullets for when they needed it. However, she did notice a blue force heading right towards them. It came from that spear. Oh, god.

The tail of the chopper was hit, causing the entire craft to start spinning, erratically. Jacqueline closed her eyes and gripped onto the railing, bracing herself. Fuck. Fuck. It was making her feel sick. She wasn't someone who hated flying, but she loathed it whenever it turned into a situation like this. Anyone would as a matter of fact.

"Time to jump Lewis!" She heard Fury's voice and she didn't hesitate. Jacqueline jumped out, then tucked her body in and rolled once she hit the ground. She came to a stop on her stomach and looked up in time to see the helicopter crash, causing dust to swirl in a cloud around her. Trained eye caught gained sight of the speeding vehicle and she knelt up, pulled out her gun and fired at the car. But, when it was finally out of her range, she dropped her arms and secured the gun in her holster.

Finally, she could take a breather. And by breather, finally feel the ache in her leg and shoulder. That jump wasn't exactly the most graceful fall. She was in a hurry; her tuck and roll was sloppy and her shoulder got caught in the middle of it. She moved a hand up to her shoulder and began to massage it, hissing at how sore it was.

 _"Director Fury, do you copy?"_ Coulson's voice came through Fury's radio.

"Copy. The Tesseract is in the possession of a hostile force. Lewis and I are fine. But, I have a few men down. Hill what's your status?"

 _"There are still men under. But, I'm not sure how many survivors."_

"Send the call. Every person not working rescue needs to be looking for the briefcase." He paused and simmered on what his next decision should be. Finally, "Coulson, are you on an evac truck?"

 _"Yes, sir."_

"Have the driver turn towards the south exit. I need you and Lewis to head back to base. Then, I need you to contact Romanoff. Copy?"

 _"Copy."_

At this, she turned to Fury and got up to her feet. "What's your plan, sir?" After she asked that question, she already had an idea as to what this was about.

"My plan is I need you to speak with Stark and Rogers. Inform them of the situation. We're gonna need all the help we can get."

It was about the initiative.

* * *

 _Stark Tower. 24 hours later_

 _..._

 _"Good evening, Ms. Lewis."_

That familiar voice came through the system and it made Jacqueline grin. After the day, she's had, it was really nice to hear a friendly, familiar voice. "Good evening, Jarvis."

 _"How may I be of assistance?"_

She instinctively clutched the digital file closer to her chest, the only thing on her mind was to get done with this quickly. There was someone else she had to see about this. "I was wondering if Tony was in? There's something that I need to speak to him about."

 _"One moment please."_

Jacqueline eased her shoulders and bounced on her toes. But, stopped when a jolt ran through her, now bruised, shoulder. She cringed and tried loosening her shoulder, it didn't really help. Being at Tony's always had the ability to make her feel at ease. _"Mr. Stark has just arrived, but he wants to know if this would be able to wait."_

Of course, he would ask that. Jacqueline rolled her eyes. Pepper was probably here. "Tell him that I apologize for intruding whatever it is he's doing, but this absolutely can't wait."

 _"Of course."_

Another period of waiting. Only this time, it didn't last as long. The elevator doors opened and she hummed to herself. She stepped in and faced the doors as they closed. _"Might I say that it is always a pleasure to have you here, Ms. Lewis."_

"Thank you, Jarvis." She smiled. "I know my visits have been sparing recently. It's kind of out of my control."

 _"I understand."_

The elevator came to a stop on the top floor and the doors opened. The first thing she was greeted with was Pepper's beaming smile. "Jackie." She stood up quickly from her place, in front of the couch. Stepping out of the elevator, Jacqueline could see Tony's forced smile. He was annoyed. She knew it. But, her thoughts were cut short when Pepper engulfed her in a tight huge.

"Hi, Pepper." Jacqueline tried to return the hug, but couldn't. Her shoulder was now killing her and with Pepper squeezing it, yeah, Jacqueline was rather uncomfortable.

"You're just in time," Pepper pulled away, making Jacqueline feel better, the smile still evident on her face. "We were just about to throw a little celebration."

"Hence, why I asked if this could wait some other time." Tony walked over and placed his hand on Jacqueline's bad shoulder, squeezing it a few times. That made her yelp. Actually, it was more of a pathetic squeal. Tony took his hand away instantly, the annoyed look was replaced with a not easily detectable concern. Only Jacqueline would have been able to notice it.

Jacqueline flashed a wide, thin grin at Tony, trying her best to recover. "Hi, Tony. I'm fine, thanks for asking. How are you?"

"Cheeky." He replied though he was still eyeing her.

"Are you alright, Jackie?" Pepper was the one who finally asked the probing question. But, the agent only waved away their concern.

"It's nothing. Just got a little bruised up." It was barely just a little bruise, she thought. "Listen, I'm really sorry for interrupting your celebration," she directed her gaze at Tony, "but no, this can't wait until tomorrow. This needs your immediate attention."

"My immediate attention?"

"Yes, so let's just go ahead and make this exchange." Jacqueline took the wine glass out of his hand and then handed over the file to him. He flashed her an unamused look to which she answered with a smile. With an eye roll, he relented.

Pepper leaned a little closer to Jacqueline, "Does this have anything to do with the Avengers?" But, she noticed the side-eyed glance she received from the agent and quickly corrected, "I mean, not that I know anything about it, because I don't."

"It's funny that you would come to me about that initiative," Tony began as he set up the file. "Because if I remember correctly they thought that I wasn't qualified for that."

"Oh, I wonder why?" Jacqueline tilted her head. Pepper hooked her arm with Jacqueline's as they made their way to him. "And if you recall, I wasn't a part of that whole thing. Either way, it's not just about that, it's about something even bigger."

"Something bigger than the initiative?" Pepper questioned.

Tony pulled up multiple screens in front of them. Files on Rogers, Banner, and Romanoff. Everything on the members who were selected for the initiative. When she was scanning over the different screens, her eyes fixed on Steve's file. Instantly reminding her that she would be seeing him after this visit. Her stomach then twisted. Asking him this early on if he would be on board with helping them. It didn't feel right to her. It made her feel guilty. She had brought it up with Fury, but when he shot her down, she chose not to ask again. They were in a tight situation. The last thing Fury wanted was something constantly questioning him.

 _"I'm taking the jet to Washington tonight."_

 _"No, tomorrow."_

 _"No. You have a lot of homework okay?"_

Jacqueline heard the first bit of Tony and Pepper's conversation but ultimately tuned them out. She kept herself occupied with reading Banner's file. It was the first time she had read about it in full detail. Him trying to devise the same serum that turned Steve into Captain America. Watching the clip in this file, she felt sad. It didn't just go wrong; it was basically a shit storm for him.

"Jackie," the agent turned to Pepper, who gave her a careful hug, making sure not to aggravate her bad shoulder. "It was nice seeing you again. When you get home tonight, you need to ice that shoulder. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am." They both pulled away. "Do you need a ride to the airport? Because you can take the car I came in"

"Are you sure?"

Jacqueline nodded. "Just tell the driver I sent you and he'll take you."

"Well, I appreciate it."

After exchanging another goodbye with Tony, Pepper got into the elevator. Once she was gone, Tony and Jacqueline huddled in a small group, she turned her attention on the screens in front of them. "You want to tell me what went down?" Tony finally asked.

Jacqueline saw a holographic image of the Tesseract and nodded towards it. "It has to do with that."

"Oh, great." Tony groaned. "S.H.E.I.L.D. gets their hands on this thing and then it goes all haywire."

"Pretty much what happened." She answered though she noticed the implication in his tone. "S.H.E.I.L.D. allowed a scientist by the name of Selvig to research the cube. Everything was fine. But, a few days ago he was getting readings of activity spikes."

"Activity spikes?" Tony questioned. "How big were the spikes?"

"They were small, Selvig was able to keep them at a neutral level."

"So, what changed?"

"I honestly have no idea." Jacqueline sighed. "Fury got the call from Coulson that they couldn't control the Tesseract. We flew out there and I don't exactly know what happened. But, there was this surge and it was powerful enough to level the entire facility."

Tony's reaction was neutral. But, she could tell by his face that he was listening. And the information was worrisome. "So, why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because the Tesseract was taken by a hostile force. Barton and Selvig were compromised."

He arched up an eyebrow. "Dead?"

"No. Just, brainwashed from what Fury told me." Her eyes flickered up to Clint's profile and her bit down on her lip. "And we could really use all the help we can get."

Tony could have just refused to help. He could have. He was given several reasons as to why he was being dropped from the initiative. Hell, he could've brought all of that up as a reason for him not to help. But, he wasn't like that. Although, it probably depended on how insulted he felt. But, the information he was given and look in her eyes, there was no doubt, this was something he couldn't just step away from.

"You all really need my help, don't you?" Tony was going to milk this for all that it's worth. The agent groaned, hand secured on her hip and shot Tony a stare. Don't push me. He could have pushed her a little more but refrained himself. This would do, for now. "Alright. I'll look at the files tonight."

Jacqueline's hardened face finally softened and she smiled in relief. "Thank you, for not making this too unbearable."

His reaction was instant; brows furrowed and mouth slightly parted, "Me? Unbearable? I assure you that I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't." Jacqueline glanced down at the wine glasses and cringed slightly. "Really, I am sorry for disrupting your celebration with Pepper."

Tony shook his head and picked up the wine glasses, "Well, I know a way you can make it up to me." He handed her one of the glasses, to which she took, gladly. "We shouldn't let it all go to waste, right. You know I hate wasting good drinks." Both held their glasses up.

"Here's to whatever amazing achievement you and Pepper made tonight."

Tony only drank a few sips from the glass, but Jacqueline decided to go all out. She downed the entire glass in a matter of seconds. Tony noted how the last time he saw her do that was at her 21st birthday. Now that was an occasion he would never forget.

Finishing the drink, Jacqueline groaned and glanced down at her watch. "Okay, well," she placed the wine glass down on the table. "I need to head out. There's somewhere I need to be, so," she gestured at the file and eyed Tony, "read through all of that. They'll be expecting to hear from you."

Tony gave her a small wave, signaling that he understood. But, before she left, Jacqueline needed to ask him about one thing. "Oh, by the way," she turned back to him, "did you accept my mom's dinner offer?"

"You know that I couldn't refuse, so yes I do go over there."

Jacqueline smiled, but it soon waned when she asked the next question. "How was Dad? I haven't seen him in about a week or so."

The mood changed between them. It filled with a tense silence as Tony pondered on her question, but kept his gaze on the digital file he was messing with. He finally looked up and tapped his finger on the table. "He was alright." His voice was hoarse and low. "He kept mistaking me for my father. The first few times he caught himself, but after that," his voice wavered off. He didn't need to finish the sentence.

"Yeah." She replied, sadly. "He's not getting any better. Mom refuses to consider the thought of putting him in a home. But, I don't want to push her, so, there's really nothing I can do."

"It's gonna be fine, Jaq. He'll be fine."

"Are you saying that to make me feel better, or to make you feel better?" There was nothing malicious about her question, she was genuinely curious.

"Both."

There was something about the way he said it, perhaps it was the way his voice shook. Or the way his eyes dripped with bitter reality. She almost felt like breaking herself. Tony was the only person who could say that he truly understood how difficult this was for her. To say that Jacqueline and her parents were like family to him was an understatement. They were his family. Even before his parents died. He's known her father since he was a kid himself. He's seen how this illness has been eating away at his mind. But, all Tony can do is just sit there and not be able to do anything about it. And it was frustrating.

After a while, Jacqueline spoke up. "I don't want to keep you distracted, so I'm gonna go now." She patted him on the shoulder and made a quiet exit.

...

Jacqueline didn't end up the in place she expected to be. No. She was currently inside one of the local gyms. After hours and there was no one up at the front when she entered, which was strange to her. The front door was unlocked. Very strange. She had gone to Steve's apartment after leaving Tony's. But, when he never answered the door, Jacqueline used the spare key to get in. It was empty. The files she had brought to him were still on the table, but he wasn't. She told herself not to get freaked out. Steve was probably just out for a walk. However, when she checked the GPS for his location, that wasn't the case.

How the hell did he get in here after hours? Regardless of her own curiosity, she was here for one thing and that was to brief him on what happened. And, hopefully, to get him to help. The last part was one she was desperately hoping would happen.

When she did find him, he was having a go with a punching bag. But, the more she viewed the scene, it seemed like he was beating out his frustration. The punches became were come out faster and with more energy to them. His shoulders were tensed up, which she noticed right away. He was not only tense but angry. The latter wasn't hard to decipher. She was proven right when he punched the bag so hard it flew across the room.

She stopped, wide eyes moving from the punching bag to Steve. "You, uh, venting out some frustration?"

Steve was more than surprised to see Jacqueline here and took a quick notice of the file she was holding. But, he did take a moment, realizing that it was rather nice to see her. "Well, you told me that I should let out my frustration. I thought that this might be the best way to do so."

She nodded, there was no way for her to argue against that. It's something that she's done a few times. Whenever she feels stressed or just pissed about something, she'd go for a few rounds with a punching bag. "Um, if you don't mind me asking," she walked into the room, her eyes scanning the area. "How exactly did you get in here after hours?"

"Alex." He replied, but he saw the confused look on her face. "I thought he would have told you."

"I haven't been able to talk to him; work has literally been insane."

Steve nodded and then continued. "Yesterday, he came to check up on me."

"Right, I hope he didn't make things awkward."

"No. He took me to a burger joint at this small place and then he introduced me to the guy who owns this gym. Alex told me that he comes here a lot, he even gets in here after hours."

"Oh." She was surprised to hear this; Alex had never mentioned this to her.

"Has he never told you about this place?" He asked.

She shook her head no, "I don't need to know every little detail about Alex's life. It's not a problem, really."

"Yeah, well, the owner told me I could come here whenever I needed."

Now, she was very happy that Alex went to see him. Steve now had a place where he could go and let out his anger. It was better than staying cooped up in the apartment all day. "Well, I'm glad that Alex took you out."

Steve took a seat on the bench and began to unwrap his hands. "Yeah, he's a good guy." He couldn't help himself from staring at the file she was holding. "I'm guessing you're here because of something job-related."

She stared down at the file and gradually made her way over to him. "Yeah." She offered the file to him immediately, to which he took with slight hesitation. "It's about the Tesseract."

That caught Steve's attention. His eyes, which were now hardened and alert with familiarity, stared up at her briefly, before he focused them on the file's content. "It's HYDRA's secret weapon. How did S.H.E.I.L.D. get its hands on it?"

"Howard Stark found it while he was searching for your body. He thought that it could be used for unlimited sustainable power. Something that a lot of people were looking for. It was then given to S.H.E.I.L.D."

"What happened?" He asked, his eyes still trailing over the papers.

"Yesterday, we got word that the cube was acting up and that they couldn't sustain it. I went with Fury to see how bad it was and," when she paused that's when Steve glanced back up at her. "A lot happened. To sum it all up, someone came through a portal that was made by the Tesseract."

That sounded very odd. "Who?"

"I have no idea who the guy was, I only managed to see him for a moment, but Fury told me that his name was Loki. He's basically an alien. He managed to brainwash quite a few people, including a friend of mine and he took the Tesseract."

Steve's face fell in disbelief, "It's gone." She could only nod at his statement.

"The situation escalated so quickly, I barely had time to process it. The entire facility that was housing this thing got completely leveled." She took a breath. "The reason I'm telling you this is because we need your help."

"Fury wants me to get back on a mission?"

"Listen, I know," she began. "This is completely unfair of me to come here and ask this of you. But, this cube is in the hands of a hostile force and one of my friends has been brainwashed and is gone. I would not be here if the situation wasn't dire."

That guilt she had felt earlier creep back in when she saw the look on Steve's face. God, she hated this so much. It's been barely three weeks since he's woken up and now, she was asking him to go back out on the field. To help fight this. She almost felt like she just slapped him across the face. "I really am sorry. I wish that I didn't have to be here, I wish I didn't have to ask you to fight. But, we really could use your help."

She was desperate. After witnessing what this cube was capable of, Jacqueline was willing to do anything that would help them get it back. Who knew what Loki was planning on using it for? She didn't want to wait around and see. And he saw the desperation in her eyes. He wanted to help, but was he ready for this? "I can't force you to do anything. So, I'll just leave you with the file. Look at it. And if you decide that you're in, SHIELD will be waiting for your call. But, if you decide not to," she inhaled deeply, thinking about what Fury's reaction would be if Steve chose to stay out of it. "Then, it's fine. But, you have until seven to give them an answer."

He didn't say anything. Honestly, he couldn't find the right words. Instead, he just nodded.

Jacqueline could feel a small rush of disappointment. Somewhere in her clouded, desperate mind, she thought that he would agree. That he would tell her that he was willing to help them. To get back out there and fight. It was incredibly selfish of her to think that, but she couldn't help it.

"I'll let them know my decision by then."

She slowly nodded and silently prayed that this would all go over smoothly.

* * *

 **A/N:** So! We are finally in The Avengers! Jackie and Tony finally had a real scene together and I hoped you guys enjoyed it! Also, just to make sure there isn't any confusion. Tony calls Jackie, Jaq, pronounced as Jack. A friend of my got confused on how to pronounce it, so I wanted to make sure it was clarified so no one got confused.

A review would be much appreciated because that is what motivates me to continue writing!

Visit Renegades blog, renegadesfanfic on tumblr!

(edited 4/30/18)


	7. Part I: VII

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel.**

* * *

The room was quiet and still. The only source of light came from a small lamp from the nightstand. A bowl that was next to the lamp contained a melted ice pack. However, the light was not a bother to Jacqueline, who was passed out on her bed. After returning to her apartment a little after 11:30, all she could do was lie in bed. There was only one thing on her mind and it was Steve. Would he agree to help with the assignment? Or will he decline it? These two questions were bouncing around senselessly in her head. Fury was rather adamant that she needed to recruit Steve for this assignment. She didn't want to face him if Steve decided not to take the assignment.

The only thing she took some comfort in was Tony. There was no need for her to worry about him, he was going to take it up. With an assignment, as serious as this, he wouldn't be able to just turn a blind eye to it.

Still, that wasn't enough to take away the knot in her stomach. Natasha was out, trying to recruit Banner. With him, there was an even high possibility that he would decline the assignment. For reasons that were understandable to Jacqueline. Even if Steve refused to help, she would be understanding of his decision. Still, she had a job to do. And that could affect their plans, tremendously.

She managed to fall asleep, at about two in the morning. The only positive from that was she didn't stay up the entire night. But, she was startled out of her sleep by a phone call. The ringtone blasted, reverberating throughout her room. Her head snapped up and she reached over for her phone. She didn't even bother looking at who the caller was. "Hello?"

 _"Lewis, it's Fury."_

"Oh," she groaned and squinted her eyes open, seeing the time on her clock, 6:40 a.m. "What's with the early morning call?"

 _"Rogers has agreed to take on the assignment."_

At this, Jacqueline threw the blankets from her body and sat all the way up. All the worrying she had done the night before wasn't necessary. "Great. Great, that's good." She blinked a couple of times, trying to rid of the heavy sleep in them.

 _"Also, Banner has agreed to the recruitment. I need you to get out to the Helicarrier and help with the preparations."_

Even though she was somewhat alert, there was still a lot of sleep buzz that had to be worn off. "How much time do I have?"

 _"Thirty minutes. I'm sending Devane to pick you up."_

"Understood. I'll see you soon."

Without wasting time, Jacqueline made her way into the bathroom. She had thirty minutes to take a shower and get to the quinjet. She could do this. She's gotten through this routine with fifteen minutes to work with. This shouldn't be that hard for her. The water was cold at first, she always did this to wake herself up in the mornings. She allowed the cold water to hit her face and body for a few seconds. After turning the water too hot, she went on with getting through her shower. About ten minutes in, the door to her apartment opened.

"Jackie." It was Alex. She had given him a spare key to her place, he did the same with her. They lived by a somewhat open-door policy. If either of them needed to be at each other's place, for whatever reason, they could go on in. That's why they had shared spare keys to their place.

"In the shower," Jacqueline called out. "Turn on the coffee maker for me, please."

After thoroughly washing her hair and the rest of her body, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. Luckily, the bathroom was right across the hall from her room. It's not always comfortable to have your friend see you soaking wet and wrapped in a towel.

"We got fifteen minutes Jackie." She heard Alex call from the kitchen.

 _Yeah, I know._

She crossed the small distance into her bedroom and closed the door. Striding over to her closet, she pulled out whatever she saw first; a leather bomber jacket, a simple shirt, a pair of jeans, and a pair of ankle high boots. The outfit was simple, it would do for today. She slipped on her shirt, jeans, and shoes, then secured the gun holster to her thigh. From her closet, she pulled out a bag and quickly stuff in a few more shirts and another pair of pants. She didn't know how long this mission was going to take, it was always in her nature to bring extra clothing.

Once everything was packed, she picked up her jacket and stepped out of her bedroom. Alex was already pacing back and forth in the kitchen, "You seem a little antsy." She commented as she strode past him.

"Me? Antsy? Nah." He took a glance down at his watch and frowned. "We just have ten minutes to get there."

She detected the sarcasm in his voice and cast him a quick glance. "Don't worry. We've had less time before. We always get there on time."

"That doesn't mean my nerves will go away."

In the kitchen, she took our two disposable cups and poured out the coffee. "Right. Well, like you said, we don't have that much time. So, we'll need to drink these on the way there." She handed one of the cups off to him and then they headed out of the apartment.

* * *

"That bruise is freaking huge!"

Jacqueline rolled her eyes at the statement made by her friend and pulled on one of the spare shirts she brought. "You're over exaggerating." Good thing she brought more, she ended up spilling coffee on her shirt this morning. She went to pick up her jacket from the small cot and heard Gabby scoff. Her eyes glanced at the dark, sullen walls. The room was so bare. Something she had expected when she boarded the Helicarrier. Steve agreed to the mission, that meant she was called out of bed around five in the morning and take a flight out to the Helicarrier. She had to make sure that everything was set for Steve and Bruce to arrive. And he was currently on his way here, with Coulson.

"So, what do you think he's gonna be like"

"Who?" Jacqueline didn't really pay attention to Gabby's question, but she made sure to answer.

"Doctor Banner. You know," Gabby made a gesture to emphasize her next statement, "the big hulk guy."

"Okay, well, first off, Banner and Hulk are two completely different…" she paused, what should she call the hulk? Was he really considered a person? "Identities." She finally found a suitable word. "They are two different identities. There's no need to treat Banner any differently."

"No need?" Gabby questioned. But, with a quick surprised glance from Jacqueline, Gabby felt she had to reiterate what she meant. "Listen, I'm not saying lock up the guy while he's here. But, you have to feel some kind of anxiety with having him on board."

"I think everyone does," Jacqueline answered, truthfully. Yeah, she was a little nervous about having him on board. The dude gets angry and he turns into a huge green form that goes crazy. Literally every single person, Fury included, were anxious about having him on board. But, she was willing to give him a chance. By him, she meant Bruce Banner. "It honestly doesn't matter. He did us a huge favor for even agreeing to help us. So, I say we should give him a little leniency."

"Hey," Alex's voice came from the doorway, garnering both of their attention. "Banner just got dropped off on the deck."

Jacqueline took in a slow breath. This was really happening. The initiative was underway. She never thought she would be able to witness the gathering. After the idea was scrapped a few years back, there was no intention to bring it back. Then, once Steve was found, everything shifted. Now, she was on the Helicarrier, waiting for the last few arrivals. It was…different. Honestly, she couldn't wait for Steve to see this thing.

"Guess it's time to go greet Mr. Banner." Gabby offered her an encouraging, thumbs up as Jacqueline left the room. As she did so, she tugged for Alex to follow her. "Where's Natasha?"

"She's going to be meeting you on the main deck."

Jacqueline nodded and tried to loosen her bad shoulder, which was still a little tender from the hell storm that happened with the Tesseract. "What's Steve's location?"

"He and Coulson are just a few minutes out. It won't take them long."

"Good."

"You doing okay, though?" Alex was gesturing towards her shoulder. She could only smile at his concern. She doesn't necessarily like it when people crowd around her like that much, but it was always nice to know when someone was concerned for her.

"I'll be fine. Seriously, a bruised shoulder is the not the worst I've had." Her hand instinctively reached up to her left shoulder, mentally visioning the bullet scar that was inhabiting her skin. A wound she had obtained during her second year working for S.H.E.I.L.D., and it hurt like hell. Luckily, she had Alex with her during that mission. He was the only one who was able to calm her from having a full-on panic attack at seeing herself bleed out like that.

They made it to the exit onto the deck and Alex pushed open the steel door. Jacqueline was overwhelmed by the noises around her. Voices yelling above the engines of the jets that were landing, that combined with the wind. Everyone was getting ready to take off once Steve made it.

"Like your jacket."

Jacqueline was startled out of her trance by Natasha who had taken her place by her side. But, she glanced down at her leather bomber jacket and smirked. "Thanks. I can get you one if you'd like."

"I'm good thanks. I like shopping for my own clothes."

"Whatever suits you."

Natasha smirked and glanced over at Jacqueline, "So, how was Vancouver with Rogers?"

She had honestly been waiting to hear Natasha ask the overused question. Luckily, she should be the last one to ask her about it. "It was fine."

"Just fine, huh?"

"How was your recruitment assignment?" Jacqueline purposefully switched the subject, remaining on the discussion about Steve was bound to head in the wrong direction.

Nevertheless, Natasha went along with it. "It was rather, interesting."

"That's the best word you can think of?"

"Well, I was trying to recruit the big guy, it was bound to be interesting, right?"

"I suppose, at least the big guy didn't actually make an appearance." Natasha hummed her own agreement. Jacqueline scouted out the deck, trying to find the doctor and her eyes finally settled on the timid figure of Bruce Banner. "I think I'm going to introduce myself to Doctor Banner."

"You do that," Natasha started off in another direction, "I need to go greet the captain upon his arrival."

Jacqueline retained a level of calm as she approached Banner. One would most likely feel intimidated or overly cautious when they approach the guy known for turning into a huge green monster. However, she studied up. She read through his full file from the archives, making sure that she understood both the human and the alter ego. Did she feel a little timid while approaching him? She would be lying if she said no. But, for some reason, Jacqueline didn't want that to come across her actions when she met him. This guy has had to deal with that for a while. She wanted to give him a break from that kind of expected reactions.

"Doctor Banner," Bruce turned suddenly towards her, his hands fiddling with each other, he was quite nervous about being on this thing. It wasn't too hard to put that together. "I just wanted to introduce myself," she stuck out her hand, he didn't take it right away, there was a moment of hesitation. Finally, he took her hand into his own. "I'm Jacqueline Lewis, but you can call me Jackie. Literally, everyone does."

Bruce nodded and slowly retracted his hand, "Should I put 'Agent' in front of your name?"

"No, it's not required." The first exchange was simple, that was good. "I just wanted to thank you, Doctor Banner. For agreeing to help us find the Tesseract, we really appreciate it."

"Yeah, well," Bruce glanced nervously around at the workers. "You need to thank your people for that one. They were nice when they were asking for my help. It could have gone a whole lot differently."

Jacqueline's lips pressed into a thin line as she slowly nodded at his words. Good thing Natasha was an expert at maintaining calmness in situations. "I'm just glad that it all worked out well." She watched him slip his hands into his pockets, still taking short glances around him. "You're a little timid."

"Aren't you?"

Jacqueline got a sense of which direction this exchanged was going to take. "Why would I be?"

Bruce glanced at Jacqueline, eyes emanating small confusion. "You have me on this thing, the guy who is known for turning into that huge green guy."

She had prepared herself for this conversation. Luckily, she didn't break down the level of calm she had lulled herself into. "I am well aware of your history Doctor Banner."

"And, you're not intimidated?" Bruce asked, completely unsure of her mindset.

She only shook her head and smiled. Yes, she was slightly intimidated by standing right next to Banner. But, for her, all of the research Bruce has done as 'Doctor Banner' seems to ease away the idea of what he was capable of and sheds light on who he was, as the actual person. She's heard some people refer to him as a 'ticking bomb'. It always made her feel like they were dehumanizing him in a sense. She was going to do all she could to refrain from following that same path.

"Well, that's kind of,"

"Rare?" Jacqueline finished for him. Bruce could only give a small nod in response.

A quinjet was approaching the Helicarrier and she knew immediately, that it was Steve. Jacqueline and Bruce watched the aircraft land and the ramp was let down. "Well, let's hope that we can make your stay here enjoyable." Jacqueline watched Natasha approach Steve and then she motioned for Bruce to follow. It was time for the two men to finally meet. Steve's was able to spot Jacqueline right away and he was the first to greet her.

"Agent."

"Captain Rogers." Jacqueline bit the inside of her cheek. All she wanted to do was thank him profusely for agreeing to the mission. After spending, most of the night worrying and praying he would take it up, she felt really stupid. There was no reason for her to be that worried

Steve turned his attention towards Bruce. "Doctor Banner." He extended his hand towards Bruce.

"Yeah, that's right," he took Steve's hand. "They mentioned that you were going to be here." Bruce was a little awkward. Made sense though. He hasn't had to worry about being around people like this for a while. And now, he was speaking with the sole reason he is the way he is. Bruce was trying to recreate the serum that helped make Steve Rogers into, well, Captain America. It didn't exactly go as planned.

"They told me that you will be able to find the cube."

"I'm pretty sure that's not the only word about me."

"It's the only word I care about."

Well, that just validated Jacqueline's goodwill endeavor when it came to Bruce. Again, Jacqueline wanted so badly to thank Steve for that. At least she wasn't the only one taking this approach. Well, maybe Steve wasn't exactly doing the same thing she was, but it was close.

The two agents stood back and silently watched the two men converse with each other. "So, what do you think?" Jacqueline broke the silence between them and nodded towards Steve. Natasha maintained a neutral look, but having known the agent for a few years, Jacqueline has been able to read the way her features change.

"He's alright." Her answer only made Jacqueline scoff in response. She glanced over and saw the faintest smirk on Natasha's face, then it was gone.

"Whatever you say."

A command came through their comms. Agents, bring in Rogers and Banner. We are about to ascend. Natasha stepped forward and cupped her hands together behind her back, "Gentlemen, we might want to head inside, it's about to get a little harder to breathe."

Steve and Bruce simultaneously looked around, curious as to what she was talking about. That's when they felt it. The entire vessel vibrated beneath their feet as a voice boomed over the speakers to secure the deck. They both took careful steps towards the edge. "Is this a submarine?" Steve asked, to really no one in particular.

"Really?" Bruce answered back. "They want to keep me in a heavily pressurized, metal container?"

Jacqueline perked up an eyebrow and smiled, "It's not exactly a submarine."

Steve and Bruce stopped at the edge and stared down at the gigantic turbines that were rising from the sea. This definitely wasn't a submarine. Bruce stared down at the turbines, a dry half smirk was on his face, "Oh no, now this is much worse."

After coaxing the two men to follow, they made their way into the actual Helicarrier. The hallways were swarmed with other agents and along the way, Gabby caught up with Jacqueline and didn't try to hide the stares she was throwing at Steve. This was the first time she had been able to lay eyes on him like this. Steve, at first, was completely oblivious to Gabby's staring, but he was able to catch it. The young woman only had enough time to flash a quick smile before Jacqueline had to remind her that staring wasn't polite.

Entering the main control room, Jacqueline still couldn't stop the look of awe that appeared. She had only been on this thing a few times. The room was an impressive, vast space, full of uniformed agents at desks and a large wall of window paneling, allowing everyone to have sight outside. It was breathtaking. One of the many perks of working with an organization like S.H.I.E.L.D. Everyone gets to see things like this. While there are a lot more cons that can come with this job, it's the small things like this that make it almost worth it.

She glanced over at Steve, who was in more awe than she was. His eyes were taking in literally every single detail in the room, trying to soak it all in. She can't imagine how incredibly off-putting this was for him. This was perhaps the most modern thing he's experienced in terms of technology.

She sauntered over to him, "What do you think?" Really, she wanted to know his thoughts on all of this.

Steve shook his head, still in awe of it all, "I don't," he paused to take another look around. "It's crazy."

That was a pretty good word for it. "For the past few weeks, you've been slowly submerging yourself with how different everything is," she huffed out a laugh. "And now you've just been thrown back in, with really no regard."

"Well, I was given the choice about whether I was ready to do a mission or not."

She nodded. "By the way," she looked up at him, thoughtfully. "Thank you for agreeing to help. I know that Fury really appreciates it, in fact, I am fairly certain everyone does."

Steve silently nodded. "Who knows, maybe this might good for me."

"Maybe," Jacqueline couldn't give an opinion that said anything against. While she did have her own thoughts on Steve jumping back in so soon, she didn't know what was right for Steve. The only person who would is Steve himself. If he was ready to take on this assignment, then who was she to try and say anything against it. Besides, they were desperate for all the help they could get. Anyone who was willing to come on board was much appreciated.

Jacqueline's thoughts drifted aimlessly as Fury greeted her and Steve and moved on to speak with Bruce. As she went to fold her arms, she paused, the movement tugged one of the sore muscles in her shoulder. In a vain attempt to alleviate it, she tried moving her shoulder to loosen it a bit. This didn't go unnoticed by Steve.

He fully turned his attention on her, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"No, she's not." Gabby approached the pair and took her spot next to Jacqueline. "I told you that bruise was gonna end up bothering you."

"What happened?" Now Steve was even more curious.

"Nothing," Jacqueline flashed a glare in Gabby's direction. "Steve, this is Gabby. Gabby, this is Steve. She's uh, she's my friend." This was her chance to not only introduce the two but to get off the subject of her bruised shoulder.

Steve and Gabby both extended their hands to one another in a firm shake. "Not just a friend. I work as an assistant for Agent Hill and I'm pretty tech savvy myself, which means I'm pretty useful around here."

Steve smiled, "Nice to you meet you."

"You too." That wasn't as awkward as Jacqueline thought it would be. "You know, you were the only thing people talked about when they found you."

Steve raised his brows in surprise. Other than Coulson, Gabby was the only person he's heard this from. Jacqueline never really informed him of how big the news was when he was found. It was very strange to hear about it for the first time. "Not to mention the fact that the talk grew when you and Jackie flew up to Vancouver."

"Gabby." Jacqueline lightly warned her friend.

"Right, sorry." She quickly apologized. "So, all of this must be pretty crazy for you, huh? I mean, I hope it's not too overbearing for you."

"It's a little…much."

"Well, let's hope that this assignment can get done in a timely matter." The conversation was effectively halted when Gabby was being summoned by Maria and she apologized before leaving both of them.

It was after Gabby left that Jacqueline was able to pick up Fury and Bruce's conversation. "And where are you with that?" He was talking about the Tesseract.

"We're scanning every wireless accessible camera on the planet," Coulson answered. "Cameras, cell phones, laptops. Anything that is connected to a satellite, we'll be able to use it."

Jacqueline analyzed what Coulson said, her brain running rampant with her own thoughts on the matter. That's when the idea hit her. Without much thought, she abandoned Steve's side and made her way over to Sitwell. "Hey, have you started with face scanning yet?"

"No."

"Okay, well, pull up the photo of Loki from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database and start the scan."

With a trained eye, she watched as the images flashed across the screen. Every scan that completed ended up not being a match and it only made her stomach sink. But, she thought that there has to be a match somewhere. Finally, she told Sitwell to make the range wider. Age, location, anything. Loki was out there somewhere, they just needed to broaden the search a little more. Again, images flashed across the screen. Searches from England, France, Spain, pretty much from around the world, were right before her on this one computer screen. Kind of mind bottling if someone were to really think about it.

But, these searches were coming up with no matches. And with each one, Jacqueline felt like maybe this idea was a lost cause. Until, finally, there was a match. Sitwell clicked on the image and Loki popped up on the screen. "That's definitely him," she confirmed and then said, "we got a match over here!"

"Where's his location?"

Jacqueline took a quick glance back at the screen and read, "Uh, Stuttgart, Germany. Twenty-eight, Konigtrasse."

"Yeah, but, he's not exactly hiding," Sitwell informed.

"That means he's probably expecting something to happen. We'll have to be careful."

Fury turned his attention to Steve, "Captain," he then looked over at Jacqueline, "You both are going in. Lewis, I want you to command the quinjet with Romanoff. Now go get suit up."

"Yes, sir." Jacqueline walked past Steve, signaling for him to follow. "I'll show you where we're keeping your suit."

Steve was led out of the control room and down the main hallway. They had to move quickly though. That means, anytime Steve's attention was attracted to something, he would have to ignore his curiosity. After passing a few labs, Jacqueline opened the door to a storage type room. At the far end, was Steve's suit, hanging in its own space.

"Did Coulson tell you that he had a hand in the design?"

Steve, eyes still fixated on his uniform, gave a small nod. "He might have mentioned it."

"I think that's one of his proudest moments." She had expected some form of response but didn't. Glancing over at him, Steve was just so still, staring at the uniform. Perhaps the enormity of his situation was finally dawning on him. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe stepping back into the suit, might make you feel a little better. It's probably the most familiar thing to you."

Time was of the essence. They didn't have time to converse, unfortunately. Without wanting to sound too urgent, she took a step back, "We need to head out soon, so suit up. I'll meet you out there."

* * *

 **A/N:** So, this chapter was pretty short, I do apologize for that. But, it will all start to pick up in the next chapter (hopefully). What did you guys think of Bruce and Jackie's first meeting? Did you like it?

Anyways! I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! A review would be much appreciated!

(edited 4/30/18)


	8. Part I: VIII

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel**

* * *

The hum of the engines was nothing more than a low vibration under their feet. Steve was occupying one of the passenger seats while Natasha and Jacqueline were up front, navigating the aircraft. Glancing down at the map, they were heading closer to their location. "We're about five minutes away." Jacqueline read from the map.

Natasha adjusted her headset and flipped one of the switches. After, she cast a quick glance back at Steve and gestured at him, "You want to go give him a pep talk before he goes in?"

She didn't look at the agent, as she was too busy glancing at the screen, but she answered regardless. "You think that's necessary?"

"Isn't that what they did back in the old days?

Jacqueline smirked and huffed out a breath. "You might be thinking of something else?"

Natasha merely shrugged and focused her attention on the navigation screen. "Still, it is his first mission since waking up. Maybe he could use a little reassurance."

Jacqueline didn't say anything. She remained silent, mulling over Natasha's words, feeling a form of weight to them. Natasha wasn't exactly wrong. Steve was right behind her, she could just go back there and talk with him a little. But, did she really need to? It's not exactly necessary, right? But, it would be a nice gesture. With a long sigh, Jacqueline pulled off her headset, placed them down and got up. She didn't need to say anything to Natasha. She knew exactly what was going on. Steve was strapped into his seat, eyes down cast, it looked like he was in some sort of trance. Like he was trying to mentally prepare himself for dropping down into a new mission.

She hesitated for a moment but took a seat across from him, which garnered his attention. Steve offered a faint smile once their eyes met. "How are you doing?"

"I'm alright," Steve glanced around, "Should I be feeling a certain way?"

"No," she quickly answered. "I just…it's your first mission since waking up. Just wanted to make sure that you were alright."

Steve nodded. "I appreciate it."

"We're three minutes out!" Natasha called out from the front of the plane.

Guess this is it. Both Jacqueline and Steve stood up from their seats as Steve picked up the earpiece. "It shouldn't be too hard, right?" Jacqueline could only stare at Steve, as she handed him a parachute. And Steve clarified once he saw the look on her face. "I mean, I've been on a lot of missions back…back then. This shouldn't be any different."

Jacqueline snapped her mouth shut and nodded.

"You going in with me?"

At this, Jacqueline only shook her head no. Natasha announced that they were two minutes from their target, Steve got into position and secured a parachute to his back. "I'm not going down with you." Jacqueline began to explain. "We'll be monitoring you from here, if you do need help, I'll come down there."

Steve placed in his earpiece as Jacqueline stepped back near the controls, waited for Steve to put on his cowl, then she opened the jet door. "Good luck, cap!"

Steve glanced back at Jacqueline and flashed a quick smile before jumping out of the aircraft. After closing the jet door, she quickly returned to the pilot seat and secured her headset back on. While Jacqueline piloted the aircraft, Natasha kept in touch with Steve through their comms.

"We're thirty seconds out, cap."

Jacqueline flew the jet closer towards the city square, where she and Natasha see that the square in front of the museum was full of people, along with Steve confronting Loki.

 _"The soldier, a man out of time."_

 _"I'm not the one who's out of time."_

The aircraft hovered over the square, with eyes locked down on Loki, Jacqueline kept the aircraft steady. Natasha flipped one of the switches, allowing the turrets to take full aim at Loki's position. Through the speaker system, Natasha voiced her order, "Loki. Drop the weapon and stand down." Not a second later, Loki fired at the aircraft.

"Incoming." Natasha warned.

"I see it."

Jacqueline dodged the shot by banking the plane towards the left. The sudden movement made her stomach lurch and once they were leveled out, she let out a quick sigh. But her attention was immediately drawn towards Steve's brawl with Loki. Most of the civilians had begun to clear the square, leaving Steve with enough room. But she could feel a sudden itch at watching their fight. Thinking when would be the right time to go out. She told Steve that if he needed help, she would jump out this aircraft and do so. But, he seemed to be holding his own, for a while. Loki had managed to get the better of him, dodging hits and getting good aims on Steve.

Natasha moved the turret's aim to follow Loki's movement and managed to lock down with a solid aim. But Jacqueline was quick to deter the agent from taking a shot. "Not yet."

"Oh, come on, you know I have a good aim."

"Yeah well, Steve's in the middle of all that, you could just as easily shoot him." Although she had a clear shot, Natasha refrained from firing, at least for now. For the moment, Jacqueline was busy maneuvering the plane to follow both Steve and Loki. With how they were fighting, their movements were everywhere. It wasn't until Loki managed to knock Steve down did she decide to act.

"Alright, I'm going down there. Take control." She went to move the headset off when there was interference with the comms channels. This made both agents pause, thinking what was causing the interference. Then, AC/DC filtered through their headsets.

 _"Hey, Jaq. I didn't miss anything good, did I?"_

Tony's voice came through clear, causing her to settle back into the pilot seat, with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I was just about to wonder where you were. You owe us for how late you are." Tony flew past the aircraft, now the song was blaring through the comms making both women shake their heads in amusement.

 _"Well, hopefully, this will make up for it."_

Tony landed only a few feet from Loki and shot out a blast. The shot hit Loki square in the chest and sent him crumbling towards the steps. "Make a move, Reindeer Games. I'm waiting."

"Guess that's our mark to land."

Jacqueline acknowledged Natasha's words by gearing the aircraft for landing. The aircraft turned, with the jet door facing the group. Once the wheels touched the ground, Jacqueline flipped a switch allowing the jet door to open. Grabbing a pair of cuffs, she walked out of the aircraft, where Tony and Steve were escorting Loki towards the aircraft. Tony reached his hand out, silently asking for the cuffs, he seemed rather insistent on cuffing Loki himself. She handed them over, the only thing on her mind was getting Loki back to the Helicarrier.

"Put him on the plane."

Tony scoffed and grabbed Loki's arm while passing Jacqueline, he said, "Of course I am. Where else would I put him? You think I would just fly off with him?"

After a beat, Jacqueline raised her brows. "Honestly, you would do that Tony." She would never put it past him to do something like that. He would ultimately make it some sort of game, forcing Jacqueline to fly after him.

Rolling her eyes, she turned to Steve and he seemed rather tense. "You alright?" She did her own glance at him, he didn't seem to be favoring any part of his body. That was a good sign, he wasn't injured, at least, not as bad. Plus, with all that super serum in his bloodstream, he was probably in good hands when it came to punches.

"I'm fine."

She took one last, quick scan over Steve and then motioned for him to enter the jet. "Then we better get going."

Once they were all on board, Jacqueline headed back towards the pilot's seat. While passing by Tony, she gave him a quick pat on the shoulder of his suit and could hear the metallic ringing that soon followed the action. "Glad you made it in time Tony." She offered as she settled down in the seat.

"You know me, I can never refuse something like this."

Jacqueline picked up the headset and secured it on and both Natasha and Jacqueline geared the aircraft for their take off. Once they were up in the air, Tony and Steve tried their hand at interrogating Loki. Of course, trying to question a literal God can never go the right way. After their failed attempts, Jacqueline focused in on the conversation that Tony and Steve were carrying on with each other. Actually, she was trying to make sure that Tony didn't mess with Steve that much. One of the things she was worried about was Tony and Steve's first meeting. She knew he could be rude, but in a Tony-type way. The last thing she wants is for him to grill into Steve or make him too uncomfortable.

Finally, after the thought crossed her mind, Jacqueline relayed a call back to Fury, informing him that they had Loki on the quinjet and to also obtain the coordinates of the Helicarrier's position.

 _"Has he said anything?"_

Jacqueline cast a quick glance back at Loki, who had an easily detectable annoyed look on his face. "No, sir. Stark and Rogers tried their hand at him, but he hasn't said anything."

 _"Just get him here. The longer this goes on, the more time we lose."_

"Copy that, sir." She switched off the call.

Tony and Steve huddled closer to the pilot's seat, both casting sporadic glances back at Loki. However, Steve felt incredibly uneasy with how this all went down. "I don't like it," Steve spoke. "All of this seemed too easy."

"Are you referring to the fact that Rock of Ages gave up easily?"

"It's never been that easy," Steve clarified. "This guy is supposed to be a literal God and he just decides to give up just after one shot?"

Jacqueline ticked her head to the side, taking Steve's words into consideration. At no point, did she ever consider this possibility? She was too concerned about if she would need to go in and assist with the fighting. Loki's surrender didn't strike her as too easy. Just the fact that he was in their custody was relief enough. But, now with the idea in her head, she couldn't stop the uneasiness that filled her nerves.

"You think there's a reasoning it didn't take much to get him to surrender?" Jacqueline asked, making sure to speak at a level only Tony and Steve would hear.

"I think he was just smart enough to surrender." Tony voiced his own answer. At this, Jacqueline only rolled her eyes. "But, I have to admit, you're still pretty spry for an older fellow." Tony continued.

Jacqueline froze, waiting for Tony's next words. "What's your secret?" He questioned. "Is it Pilates?"

"What?"

"Tony," Jacqueline lightly scolded, but the man continued.

"It's like calisthenics. You definitely missed a couple of things, you know, when you were doing time as a capsicle."

"Tony," she tried again, this time her voice had risen in volume. "Seriously, that's enough."

"You're turning into my mother again. I don't need that from you."

Jacqueline scoffed, "Oh trust me, you definitely need it sometimes."

Tony mumbled something back, but she effectively tuned it out and focused on getting all of them back to the Helicarrier in one piece. Everything was fine, aside from Steve and Tony bickering behind her, the ride was going rather smoothly. Then, a flash of lightning pierced through the darkness, making Jacqueline jump in her seat. More flashes decorated the sky and she watched them in confusion. "Where the hell is this coming from?"

"What's wrong, scared of a little lightning?" Steve asked Loki, the God had a rather tense look on his face that was unmistakable.

"I'm not particularly fond of what comes next."

Thunder ripped through the air, the crackling sent a chill down Jacqueline's spine. There was something off-putting about this "storm" that came out of nowhere. All their attentions were drawn to a loud thud coming from the roof of the aircraft.

"What is going on?" Jacqueline's question was not pointed towards anyone.

Tony pulled on his mask and opened the jet door. "Stark, wait!" Steve called out, but everyone froze when a figure jumped onto the platform. The way the man was dressed had that same otherworldly appearance to the one Loki was wearing. She took a moment to glance over at their prisoner and could see the tense look in his eyes. Shit. The figure strode into the aircraft, at the same time, Tony approached him and raised a hand to stop him when he was slammed in the chest with a hammer. The impact sent Tony flying back until he collided with the wall.

"Oh, shit." This had to be Thor. Jacqueline's mind finally came to a hasty conclusion.

Thor grabbed onto Loki's neck and jumped outside. Jacqueline couldn't help the way she was gawking at what just happened. It was so random and completely unexpected. What was she supposed to say about this? Tony had managed back onto his feet, and with the way he was standing, she knew that he was annoyed.

"Well, now that's just rude." Tony's mechanical enhanced voice thrummed from behind the mask.

"I'm guessing that's another Asgardian?" Natasha inquired.

"The same guy from New Mexico. Fairly positive." Jacqueline answered, then she turned in her seat to glance back. At that point, she could see Tony walking towards the open jet door. "Tony, what are you doing?" She shouted at him.

"What do you think, I'm going to get our prisoner back."

"Stark we need a plan of attack!" Steve inquired. But, Tony's answer didn't really satisfy him.

"I've got a plan—attack."

"No, wait, Tony!" Jacqueline tried stopping him, but he was already out of the plane. "Are you kidding me?" She threw the headset down and stood up, "Natasha take the wheel."

Jacqueline stepped out of the cockpit and grabbed one of the parachutes. Tony's refusal to listen always manages to get him in trouble, it didn't matter how major the situation was. But, she needed to go in. She had to make sure that he didn't do anything stupid.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Jackie!" Natasha called out from her seat. "You already know these two are basically Gods. It's not gonna go your way."

She strapped the parachute onto her back and fastened the straps on her shoulders. But, she still managed to let out a small laugh at Natasha's words. "You really think I'm dumb enough to fight a God? I'm just going in to make sure Tony doesn't get himself killed." She turned to towards the opened jet door, "Someone has to." She quietly said to herself. Out of her peripheral, Steve was sliding a parachute onto his back. "I'm guessing we're going in together?"

"You may be going in for Stark, but who knows what the other guy is thinking right now." Steve situated the straps on his arms. "You're not going in alone."

She could only smile. "Well, it's our first time going in together. Let's hope it all works out."

Strutting towards the opening, she called back to Natasha, "Relay a message to Fury about the situation. We're gonna be late heading back." Natasha gave a quick thumbs up.

They both stopped a few feet from the ramp, both gazing out into the darkness. There was a thrilling sensation that was swirling in her stomach. She hadn't felt this in a while. "You've jumped out of a plane before, right?" Steve asked.

"It's been a while since I jumped." However, the question made her smile. With that, her eyes were on him and when he looked up, he could see a small glint in her eyes. Almost like there was a form of excitement brewing behind them. But, her brow quirked up as she walked out onto the platform. "Hope I'm not too rusty."

With that, she casually dropped out of the plane. Steve followed soon after, but if she had waited a few seconds longer, she would have seen the full, amused smile on his face.

It had been a while indeed. The last time Jacqueline was required to jump out a plane was about a year ago, during a search and rescue mission. And oh, how she missed it. The rush that was searing through her veins, the total weightlessness during freefall. It was exhilarating. But, it wasn't like this the first time she jumped. Terrifying. That's the word she would use to describe it. She eventually had to close her eyes and just jump. This was something she had to grow used to and in the end, she loves it.

Soon, the clouds began to clear and she could spot the forest below them. This was it. She reached for the red tab and she—along with Steve, both pulled at their tabs, deploying their chutes. They both drifted down to the forest floor, both taking a few steps to help slow their landing. After stripping off their parachutes, Steve and Jacqueline headed further into the woods, with no idea if they were heading in the right direction. They weren't even sure how close they were to Tony's current location.

It wasn't until they could hear the snapping of branches—or maybe tree trunks, that they picked up their pace. That had to be where Tony and Thor were. And they were correct. Steve and Jacqueline came to a stop on top of a ledge, seeing the amour covered Tony and Thor, throwing down with each other.

"Tony!" Jacqueline shouted. It was rather effective. Tony and Thor both froze, their heads turned at her figure.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tony asked.

Jacqueline gave him a slightly offended look as she jumped down from the ledge. "Excuse me, you're the one who was crazy enough to chase after an Asgardian God without a good plan," she took slow steps towards both men, with Thor giving her a rather curious look. "I'm making sure that you don't get yourself killed."

"Crazy?" Tony switch his gaze from Jacqueline to Thor in a quick succession. "He was the one who entered our aircraft and took our prisoner," he then turned his attention back on Thor and pointed an accusing finger at him. "That was rather rude, by the way."

"I've come here to put an end to Loki's schemes."

Jacqueline tried to validate Thor's statement, but Steve was already jumping the gun. "If that's why you're here, put down the hammer."

"Yeah, no. Bad call. He likes his hammer." Tony's remark earned him a hit from Thor's hammer, sending him backward. _God, Tony learn to keep your mouth shut._

"You want me to put the hammer down!"

Thor's posture and the tone of voice alerted everyone. Oh god. Jacqueline's eyes widened as Thor started after Steve, the grip on his hammer tightened. Shit. Tony regained his footing and knew what was about to happen. He flew the short distance to where Jacqueline was and shielded her body with his own. His plan was to try and get them a relative distance away, but he wasn't' quick enough. Thor's hammer met Steve's shield with a deafening impact, the send a ripple throughout the forest, leveling trees down and throwing Tony and Jacqueline backward into the base of the ledge.

The forest went still, the ringing turned into a residual sound that echoed in their ears. What the hell was that? Jacqueline slowly recovered from the blast. Her entire body ached with a foreign pain that burned through all her nerves. She strained on a groan as she moved onto her side. Tony, who was lying beside her, slowly sat up, trying to recover from what happened. She turned back around until she was facing forward and placed her hand on Tony's shoulder and managed to mutter, "Thanks."

Tony patted her back. "Don't mention it."

They helped each other back onto their feet and noticed that Steve and Thor had recovered and were surveying the damage that was done. But, Jacqueline couldn't help but feel annoyed with what just happened.

"Hey," she called out at Thor, but it also gained Steve's attention. She raised her arms up and gestured around them. "Was that really necessary?" The Asgardian didn't say anything. But she took his silence as an answer.

"Can we please get out of here?"

* * *

The entire ride back consisted of Tony, Steve, and Thor talking while Jacqueline rested in the pilot's seat. Natasha had seen the way she walked onto the jet. Her body was so sore from whatever that blast was. Not to mention she hit her bad shoulder when she fell, Jacqueline wasn't exactly feeling the best. Natasha insisted she could get them all back in one piece, but Jacqueline remained in the seat next to her, in case she did need her for something. Halfway into the flight, Natasha relayed a message back to Fury to tell him that they had Loki back in custody.

While she didn't fall asleep during the ride, when they landed she remained still in her seat, not wanting to move. Natasha had to nudge her, a few times, to get Jacqueline out of the seat. She pushed herself out of the seat and followed Natasha out of the jet. Loki was already being escorted by the security personnel into the Helicarrier. At least that whole thing was taken care of.

The first thought that crossed her mind was to find somewhere to lay down; her shoulder was killing her. If she could just get maybe ten minutes to sit or lie down, she would be completely fine. Before she could slip away from the group, they were told that Fury wanted to hold a meeting in the main room. Great. Jacqueline closed her eyes and sighed, so much for trying to relax. While Tony went to change out of his suit, Jacqueline, along with the rest of the 'team', ventured into the main control room.

Jacqueline saw Alex and Gabby conversing with each other, but the minute she spotted an empty chair, she plopped her sore body down. She wasn't exactly in the mood to engage in conversation with them. Perhaps, after she treats her shoulder and gets something to eat, she'll meet up with them. But, taking the weight off her legs felt amazing. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, hearing everything that was going on around her. Steve and Thor were talking about Loki and possibly the Tesseract, she didn't exactly hear that part. But, Jacqueline's time of relaxing was cut short. A video broadcast was pulled up on the table, which made Jacqueline wink an eye open.

On the screen was Loki, in the cage that had been built specifically for Bruce, in case…well, in case the big guy decided to make an appearance. From her posture, it would have seemed like Jacqueline wasn't paying any attention to the audio, but she was. The entire group watched and listened to the conversation that Fury was carrying on with Loki. They were trying to one-up the other, she could hear it in each of their voices. Intimidation. That's all the conversation was. Trying to see which would be the first to crack under the weight. Unfortunately, Loki didn't seem phased by Fury's attempt.

Her eyes narrowed at the screen when she saw Loki smirk at the camera. _Aren't you real smug?_ In her own annoyance, she pushed the video feed away and settled more into her chair. "He really is quite the charmer," her sarcastic answer earned a response from Bruce.

"He just really knows how to grow on you, doesn't he?"

"Loki's gonna drag this out for as long as he can," Steve spoke up, he didn't really seem to catch onto the sarcasm in both Bruce and Jacqueline's remarks. It didn't really bother her though. "Thor, what's his plan?"

The Asgardian was standing at the far end of the table, with a fist resting under his chin, and he seemed quite lost in his own thoughts. Steve's question was what brought him back to his sense. "Loki has an army, called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard, but he means to use them against your people. And in return, they will win Earth for him. In exchange, for the Tesseract."

Oh, that sounds just fantastic. Out of everything they were up against, it just had to be an alien army. "So, there's a huge alien army out there somewhere, just waiting to find a way in," she began to swivel in her chair, causing Natasha to raise a brow at her, but she continued. "From what I saw in Germany, Loki is hell-bent on being a ruler. He wants to rule the people of Earth. From that, I highly doubt that Loki is going to let the Chitauri obliterate everything. He's going to want this planet up and running." It was a very bland, neutral outlook. The Chitauri invade, a lot of people will most definitely die. And that is something they need to prevent, but it's a better outcome than having the entire planet obliterated.

"They might not destroy everything, but it will be enough to cause severe damage," Steve answered.

"Well, Loki is building another portal." Bruce weighed in. "That's why he needs Selvig."

"Selvig?" Thor questioned, now genuinely curious. "He's a friend."

"And he's been brainwashed by Loki," Jacqueline answered, after casting a quick glance over at the Asgardian.

Natasha shifted in her seat and bit down on her lip, "Along with one of our own."

"But, I want to know why Loki let us take him," Steve said. "There's no way he's going to be leading an army from here."

"I don't think we should be worrying about Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you can smell the crazy on him."

 _Good one_. Jacqueline smiled at the analogy. She didn't know Bruce for that long but didn't know much about his sense of humor. This was her first exposure, fairly dry humor. But, she liked it.

"Have care with how you speak," Thor took a few steps closer to the table, his voice blaring signs of warning. "Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he is my brother."

That was rather strange. Hearing that kind of reasoning and protectiveness about someone who was wreaking havoc in the streets of Germany a few hours ago, didn't sit well with her. Hell, if she had a brother who was doing all of this, she wouldn't be so quick to defend them like that. Natasha seemed to agree as well.

"He killed eighty people in two days." She said, completely deadpanned in her emotion.

Thor hesitated. "He's adopted."

Jacqueline cleared her throat and sat up in the chair. That was a little awkward. "But, the Iridium," Bruce began. "What did he need the Iridium for?"

She quickly ran through what she could gather. Loki had to get the Iridium at a museum. Obviously, it was rare. That much was given. But, what about it was so important? What role does Iridium have when it comes to the function of the Tesseract?

"It's a stabilizing agent," All eyes turned to the source. Tony entered the main room with Coulson, with who he was having a hushed conversation with. When he stepped away, Tony stopped behind Jacqueline's chair. "With the Iridium, the Tesseract won't collapse on itself like it did at S.H.I.E.L.D.," he patted Jacqueline on her shoulder as he walked away. Unfortunately, it was the shoulder that was currently killing her, which was a fact he probably forgot. She tensed in her seat, eyes wide and fixed in a stare, trying her best not to make an audible noise. Though, she mentally swore. Tony, of course, was completely oblivious of this since he continued talking.

"No offense, Point Break," he gave Thor a reassuring pat on the back. "You've got a mean swing. But, it also means that the portal can remain open for however long he wants, allowing anything to get through."

This whole situation just seems to get worse. Too bad Loki didn't have the Iridium on him, Clint definitely had it in his hands by now. And this was the only thing they needed that was difficult to find. "Everything else they need for the Tesseract is going to be easy to obtain," she began. "Clint will have no trouble at all." Now, she felt even more agitated and frustrated. But, that was probably due to her shoulder throbbing.

"The only thing he's missing is a major power source," Jacqueline's eyes were attracted to Tony's movements. The way he was messing with the main controls, he was being cautious. She could recognize it anywhere. That's when, for a split second, she noticed Tony place something under one of the screens.

 _What the hell are you doing, Tony?_

"You know, something to jump start the thing." He finally finished and noticed that Jacqueline was staring at him with narrowed eyes. He put on the front and ignored it.

"In order for this to work, he's gonna have to heat the cube to one-hundred, twenty million Kelvin, just to break through the Coulomb barrier."

Jacqueline blinked slowly at Bruce's words. But, Tony looked ecstatic. "Finally, someone on this aircraft who speaks English."

"Is that what just happened?"

Jacqueline was too tired to say anything witty against Tony's remark, so she settled for watching the exchange between Bruce and Tony. It was all going well, Tony was behaving himself, which was surprising. Well, that is until he mentioned Bruce's capability of turning into a huge green guy. Should she scold him? Or at least, get him to realize that saying that probably wasn't the best thing. She couldn't make up her mind. Instead, Jacqueline stood up from her seat, she needed to do something about this shoulder before it gets worse.

"You two," she pointed to Tony and Bruce as she made her way towards the exit. "Have fun being all science-y and stuff. I need to go find some kind of ice pack." Then, she paused, "Oh and Tony, behave yourself."

Tony didn't make a verbal argument, but from the look on his face, he acted like he didn't do anything wrong. But, Jacqueline knew he was up to something. Tony has a real for acting on his own gut feeling. Never really takes the time to evaluate what might come from it. And whatever he placed under the control panel, she knew it wasn't going to be good. It was probably going to derail everything.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello everyone! Sorry, this chapter wasn't that long but I'm just happy to get a new chapter up! How are you guys liking it so far? A review would be greatly appreciated! And thank you to everyone who has reviewed, it just motivates me even more!

Until next time!

(edited 4/30/18)


	9. Part I: IX

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel**

* * *

Finding an ice pack for her aching shoulder was easy enough. Just a quick trip down to the med bay. Of course, she couldn't help how silly she felt for requesting just a simple ice pack. When she first stepped into the med bay, her hand was resting against her sore shoulder and her features dripped with exhaustion. The nurse who greeted her—Emily—thought there was something seriously wrong with her. Nope. It was just a bruised shoulder. Imagine that.

Despite her trying to convince the nurse that otherwise, Emily insisted that she let Jacqueline examine her shoulder. Just to make sure. Better safe than sorry. Upon assessing the area, Jacqueline was right, it wasn't that serious. However, she got a good look and the sight did startle her at first. The older barely healed bruise was now surrounded by skin that was starting to turn purple.

'This bruise is going to take even longer to heal', her fingers just barely grazed a section of the bruised skin and she hissed at the contact. The only thing she could do was help lessen the swelling and hopefully, rid some of the soreness. Emily prepared an ice pack and recommended that Jacqueline take a few painkillers. Luckily, she had brought some in her bag. After giving her thanks to the nurse, Jacqueline trotted out of the med-bay and wondered around for a few minutes, with one hand awkwardly holding the ice pack on her shoulder. She felt a little ridiculous to say the least.

She came upon a few lounge chairs in a spacious area, but when she looked around, there was no one. Probably a good time to try and rest a little. She plopped down in one of the chairs, with her legs dangling off the chair's arm. She still had to use a hand to keep the pack secured in its place. That was rather annoying. But, it was nice to be able to lounge about and just relax. And she was doing a rather good job of not worrying about anything, but then, something crossed her mind. She left the main room before Fury came in to start the brief.

Great. She hung her head back and exhaled a long, tired sigh. Oh well. Natasha would most likely speak up if her absence becomes that much of a problem.

As the aches in her body slowly melted away, she allowed herself to close her eyes. There was hardly any noise, the only thing she could really hear was the muffled hum of the turbines. It acted as a lulling mechanism. Calm and muted. She almost had the thought of calling her parents, even pulled out her phone to do so, but as she elaborated on it more, she decided against it. It was already pretty late, she didn't want to wake them up.

After putting her phone away, Jacqueline remained still and quiet and allowed the ice pack to do its job. In her silence, Jacqueline thought of something and pressed a hand to her forehead. The way Tony was behaving in the main room. She saw him place something under Fury's main screen, at least, she was certain that he did. She exhaled an annoyed sigh at the probability of having to confront him about it. He's going to deny it the entire time and then she's going to get even more annoyed and frustrated. But, she couldn't have Tony snooping around like that and causing trouble.

Once she summoned enough energy, Jacqueline pushed herself off from the chair and wandered towards the main room, with one hand still securing the ice pack to her shoulder. Upon arriving, she saw that she had missed the briefing. No one was sitting at the table and after conversing with Maria, Jacqueline made her way towards the lab, which was where Tony and Bruce had ventured off to.

Standing at the lab door, Jacqueline peered in through the window and saw the two messing about with Loki's scepter. Well, Bruce was trying to get stuff done while Tony was ambling around, very casually. Typical Tony.

Taking a breath, Jacqueline pushed open the door and ambled into the lab. Both Bruce and Tony stopped what they were doing to gaze up. Though, Tony smirked at how awkward it was to see her just standing there, with the pack on her shoulder. She knew exactly what he was smirking about and casually rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know, it looks weird." She took the pack and tossed it down on one of the spare lab tables. "I need to talk to you." She directed her gaze right at Tony.

Tony pointed at himself with wide eyes, pretending to be surprised. "Me?" He then gestured at the table in front of him. "You can probably tell that we're kinda busy right now."

Her eyes narrowed into slits, she could tell he knew what this was about. He knew that she had caught him earlier and he was trying to amble his out of it. Not on my watch. "I'm sure that Doctor Banner will be able to manage without you for a couple of minutes, right?" She tilted her head to look at Bruce, who merely shrugged his shoulders and visibly shrunk away from the question.

"I—this has nothing to do with me."

"See?" Jacqueline reiterated. "He has no problem with it."

The only thing Tony did was casually turn to Bruce, his eyes dead set on him. He just threw him under the bus. In a few short seconds, Tony tried to conjure up some excuse. Anything that would Jacqueline off his back. Unfortunately, Jacqueline spotted it, honestly, she could spot it a mile away.

"Don't think you can talk your way out of this Tony." She motioned him over and instead of trying to find a way out, Tony relented. He made his way over to where Jacqueline was and she guided them a good distance away from Bruce.

"What is it?"

"I want to know what you're doing?"

Tony gave a puzzled look as he pulled out a pack of blueberries from his pocket. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Her eyes closed and she gritted her teeth, she knew this was going to happen. Tony always had to make things more complicated. "Don't play dumb with me," her eyes fluttered open into a hardened stare. "I saw you do something in the control room. What did you do?"

Tony popped a few berries into his mouth, chewed vigorously for a few seconds and then shrugged. "Nothing."

Instead of verbally replying, Jacqueline went silent, her eyes were fixed on him with a hardened stare. This was a tactic she has used several times in the past when it came to getting Tony to admit something. He dubbed it her 'mom' face. It reminded him of the 'I'm not in the mood' look he got from his own mother several times during his youth.

It was somewhat successful. "You don't need to worry, alright?" Tony gave a somewhat decent answer to her question. "There are just some things that I need to find out and everything will be good."

At this, Jacqueline's face dropped, "You're hacking into SHIELD data files, aren't you?"

He couldn't say that she was wrong, because she wasn't. So, he had to exaggerate his answer. "I never said anything about hacking."

There was no need for Tony to verbally say the words. She already knew. "Dammit, Tony."

"I never said anything."

"You didn't need to, it's written all over your damn face!"

The way her voice increased, in such a short time, it made him hesitate. In response, he glanced back at Bruce, who was looking at the screen in front of him, but he side glanced at them. It didn't take much to see that he didn't expect that kind of reaction from her. Tony turned back to Jacqueline, who already was rubbing her temples out of frustration. "It really isn't a big deal, Jaq."

"To you, it isn't," she said and glanced up at him. "In case you've forgotten, I work for SHIELD."

"Which is why I haven't said anything that would incriminate me."

After a beat, Jacqueline finally relented and laughed. "Honestly, I shouldn't even be surprised at this. Hacking is almost a habit for you."

"Exactly," he popped another berry into his mouth and turned away, "which is why the information I am looking for," he paused to think more on his words, "It might be something that would interest you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you don't know everything about SHIELD, now do you?"

Jacqueline glanced over at Tony, their eyes locked down on each other, waiting to see which would crack first. Her eyes suddenly narrowed and her curiosity peaked. "What are you looking for Tony?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Jacqueline folded her arms across her chest and stood her ground.

"What did SHIELD need the Tesseract for anyways?" Tony finally asked, deciding to spare her another moment of silence. But, the question threw her off.

She blinked a few times before shrugging her shoulders. "You don't know? Fury never told you" Tony asked.

"No, I don't, Tony." She hesitated. "I was only involved when it came to who was researching it. I brought Barton in when Fury ordered it. I only assumed that the research was for—,"

"Sustainable energy." Tony finished and she merely nodded. "Yeah, I don't buy that. Months ago, I announced my green energy plan. Around the same time that SHIELD decided to go and start poking around with the thing. Not once did I hear from them."

She perked up an eyebrow, "Maybe there's a reason why they decided not to contact you. I mean, you haven't always gotten along with SHIELD." The back and forth that went on between Tony and SHIELD was well known. It was quite clear to a lot of people that Tony didn't hold the highest trust with the organization.

"Jackie," Bruce spoke up and she looked over at the Doctor. "If you really think about it, can you seriously stand there and say that there isn't something off with all of this?" Bruce fumbled with the tool in his hand, stopping momentarily to take a blueberry from Tony. "Tony said that he's the biggest name associated with clean energy. If SHIELD was using the Tesseract to establish an energy source, they could have easily gotten him to help with that project."

She simmered with the information, refusing to make eye contact with Tony during it. She wasn't stupid. Jacqueline always knew that with organizations like SHIELD, there are always going to be secrets. She's not going to know every single thing that takes place. That was something she realized when she first entered SHIELD. She recalled the moment at the lab, when Fury whispered something to Hill. Obviously it was about something he didn't want Jacqueline to know about. Maybe Tony was right.

Finally, the agent glanced up at Tony and bit the inside of her cheek, "Do you really think that Fury is hiding something?"

Tony pulled out a device from his pocket and scanned his eyes over the screen, "Jarvis has been running a scan since I hit the bridge, I'll know fairly soon every secret SHIELD has been hiding."

Every inch of her being was screaming for her to get Tony to stop. That was very unlikely. She knew how Tony was. Besides, he had already been scanning through SHIELD's secured files the minute he arrived. The damage had already been done. Trying to get him to cease his hacking would be pointless.

"If you find anything," she paused and cleared her throat before continuing, "will you at least tell me first, before you do anything else?"

Tony gave a half nod. "I can't make any guarantees."

"I'm trusting you, to not let your search get out of hand, Tony."

"And I trust you enough to spill out what I've been doing. Trust is supposed to go both ways. We got that down, right?"

Jacqueline nodded. She was promising not to rat Tony out and he was promising to keep the fact that she knew, a secret. She was still working for SHIELD and she didn't even want to think about what might happen if it got out she knew about Tony hacking into their files.

"What are you going to do if you do end up finding something?"

Tony wasn't able to answer the question. The door to the lab slid open and Tony's eyes latched onto the figure walking in. "Here comes the Star-Spangled Man."

At this, Jacqueline turned briefly, enough to see Steve coming up to her and Tony. When he was finally standing next to her, she turned forward and kept her eyes down, not even acknowledging him with a greeting. Steve noticed instantly. His eyes switched from Jacqueline to Tony, noticing immediately the tension between them. "What's going on?" Steve asked.

After a beat, Tony shrugged. "Nothing."

But, Jacqueline's posture said otherwise. Steve eyed her silently. Her arms were still folded tightly over her chest and her lips were cinched to the side as if she was in deep thought. "What happened?"

Jacqueline seemingly snapped out of her trance and shook her head. "Everything's fine." When she finally looked up, the first thing she saw was Tony staring at her and she gave him a single nod. "I'm pretty sure you guys have something to talk about, so I'll just leave you to it."

As she turned to leave, Jacqueline gave Steve only a mere nod, picked up the half-melted ice pack and exited the lab. Now her mind was reeling. Some have considered Tony to be too paranoid or someone who jumps to a conclusion without looking first. While she can see why some would think this, Tony's instinct seemed to prove him right in this situation. She just hoped that if he found anything, it won't be as bad.

After leaving the lab, Jacqueline just walked, not knowing where she wanted to go. She ended up in the cafeteria, all by herself. Everyone was either working or trying to get some form of rest. But, not her. After the conversation, she had with Tony, she might not be able to fall asleep at all.

Was he, right? Was Fury hiding something from them?

She shook her head and groaned in frustration. There was part of her that was dismissing Tony's claim. Making her think that he might just be chasing smoke. Then, there was the other part. That small inkling in the pit of her stomach that was giving Tony the benefit of the doubt. There was a possibility that he was right. And that worried her to no end.

If there is something that Fury is keeping from them, how serious is it? But, she shouldn't be that surprised. No doubt, there are several things Fury has to keep under wraps, it's part of the job. But, Tony made it seem like it was more serious, something that needs to be brought to everyone's attention.

After grabbing a sandwich and a bottle of water, she decided to head back to her makeshift room. The last thing she wanted was to run into Gabby or even Alex for that matter. Right now, she'd much rather sit in her room in silence, mulling over Tony's words.

The walk to her room was swift and quiet. Only on a few times did she run into a few workers. But, there were no words exchanged, just brief nods of acknowledgment. About halfway to her destination, Jacqueline heard someone call out her name. Pausing, she turned sharply to see Steve walking towards her. Well, this wasn't exactly what she expected.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked once he was standing in front of her.

She gave a quiet nod and turned so that she was fully facing him. She already had an inkling as to what he would want to discuss with her. She couldn't only imagine that it had to do with Tony.

"Do you know what Stark is doing?"

And she was right. She hesitated and folded her arms across her chest. "He told you that he thinks Fury's hiding something, didn't he?"

"He didn't really try to keep it a secret from me, I think he wanted me to know. Maybe an effort to get me on his side."

"Do you believe him?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, he made a valid argument."

Jacqueline nodded, her teeth bit down on her bottom lip in contemplation. "What about you?" Steve's question startled her out of her train of thought. "Do you think Fury is keeping something from us?"

She still wasn't sure. Since her talk with Tony, all she's done was mull over the possibility. And the entire time she was suffering from a mental tug-o-war. A majority of her mind was in denial, thinking that Tony was just being paranoid. But, that small thought at the back of her mind was tapping louder as each second ticked by. "I don't know."

"Wouldn't you know if Fury was hiding something?" At this, her brows arched, but it didn't make Steve waver from his question. "Fury seems to trust you a lot."

"That doesn't mean that I know everything." She bit back, feeling the need to suddenly defend herself. Steve's words held an accusation in them. He might not be outright verbally saying what he means, but she can hear it loud and clear. "Fury may trust me, but I highly doubt he trusts me enough to spill out everything that goes on here."

"He thinks that Fury is doing something else with the Tesseract, that SHIELD isn't using it to create sustainable energy."

She really didn't want to discuss this. It was bad enough she had no idea what to believe, but now Steve was trying to dig deeper into Tony's accusation and he thinks that she might know something.

"Yeah, that's what I was led to believe as well," Jacqueline paused and snapped her mouth shut. The last thing she wanted to do was get too carried away with this. Neither of them knew much about this and Tony never gave them any info because he hasn't received it himself. The more questions they ask, the more their minds start to run and extreme paranoia will set in.

"We can't discuss this right now, Steve. We just need to wait until Tony actually finds something."

"And then what? Are you planning on confronting Fury with it?"

"Like I said, we'll have to wait and see what Tony comes up with."

When Steve went to say something, she shook her head, which effectively made him pause. "I'm sorry, Steve, I'm not going to talk about this now. Just wait it out."

"If you knew me, you would know that I don't really like to 'wait it out'."

Before she could say anything, Steve turned and walked away, leaving her in silence and questioning what that meant. She could go after him. Make sure that he wasn't going to do something stupid.

 _Go after him._

Rather than go after him, she did the exact opposite. She opened the door to her room and ducked inside, quickly closing it behind her. She was probably going to regret not chasing after Steve, but at the moment, she just didn't care. That didn't sound good. But, throwing that muted accusation at her, she'd rather not go after him.

Running a hand through her hair, Jacqueline took a seat on her cot and tossed the bottle and sandwich down next to her. On instinct, Jacqueline pulled out her cell phone and dialed out a familiar number. A few rings in and her mother's voice came through. It was only then that she realized what time it was.

"Sorry for calling mom."

 _"Oh, don't worry about it sweetie,"_ she could hear her mother moving around on the end of the line. _"I was having a hard time sleeping anyways. What's wrong?"_

"Nothing," her hands fumbled with each other as scrambled to find something to say. "I just haven't spoken to you in a few days. Just wanted to check in."

 _"Oh,"_ her mother's doubt rang through clear, _"are you sure you don't want to tell me?"_

"I don't want you to worry because it might be nothing."

 _"So, there is something going on."_

Her hand brushed across her forehead and she leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. The last thing she wanted to do was bombard her mom with potentially bad news about SHIELD. She had to be minimal with the information she would share. "When you were working for SHIELD, did you ever feel like something wasn't right? Like, something was being kept from you?"

 _"All the time."_ The answer didn't surprise Jacqueline in the least. _"You should know this, Jackie. Organizations like SHIELD are always going to hide something, that's just the nature of it all."_

"No, I know, I just," she paused and ran a hand through her hair. "Never mind. It's most likely not even a big deal. I'm probably just being paranoid."

Kathleen hummed in response and soon after, they both descended into silence. With Jacqueline debating, if she should go further in depth and her mother was waiting to see if she was going to say anything else. But, on the other end, Jacqueline could hear her father talking and she immediately regretted calling all over again.

 _"Do you want to speak to your father?"_

She didn't take long to dwell on the question. "Sure."

After a few seconds of fumbling from the other line, Jacqueline felt a familiar warmth wash over her as soon as her father's voice came through. _"Hey, sweetheart."_

"Hi dad, I'm sorry for waking you up, I shouldn't have called."

 _"Oh, it's fine. We weren't getting much sleep anyways."_

"Yeah, mom told me. How are you feeling?"

 _"I'm managing."_

That was less promising. Usually, the way these phone calls went involved Jacqueline asking how the last few days went. It was usually the same thing: some days were good and some were bad. It was like a roller coaster with him, no fault of his own. "Well, I'm glad that it isn't worse."

 _"What's going on with you? I overheard your conversation with your mother."_

"Nothing that I want to concern you about, just something that's going on at work and I just don't know what to make of it."

 _"You know that you can tell me anything."_

"Yeah, I know."

The truth that her father spoke of made their family situation all the more painful for her. She would love nothing more than to ask him about his days at SHIELD. If there was ever a time where he felt like they weren't telling him something. That they were keeping something major from everyone. But, there was no ounce of him that could remember that far back. Not with how advanced his Alzheimer's was.

 _"What's wrong Jackie?"_

"Something happened at work, where I was told that there is a possibility that something wasn't right. That there's a lot more we don't know. And I just don't know what to think or feel about it."

 _"Well, I don't know the specifics, since you won't tell me, but the only advice I can give you is to follow your gut. What is it telling you?"_

Teeth scraped across her lip in realization. "It's telling me that something isn't right."

 _"Then you go with your gut, Jackie. Your gut—your instinct, it never lies. Remember that."_

God, how much she wanted to hug her dad right now. With just simple words, he was able to ease her rampant mind. In this one moment, she felt like a little girl on days when she and her father would sit together and just talk. About anything and everything. And one thing that always was memorable from those moments, was how he always managed to spill out some usable wisdom. She used to think her dad was the smartest person in the world. That was just her young mind at play. But, even now, she sometimes gets that feeling when she talks with him.

"I love you, so much dad." She meant it, more than anything. She wished that everything was normal, wished that her dad didn't have to suffer, wished that everything could be simple again.

 _"I love you too."_

With a quick glance at the clock, Jacqueline decided that it was time to end the conversation. "Okay, well, I'm gonna let you guys go. You both need to get some sleep. I'll come and visit whenever I'm done with work."

 _"Alright, be careful."_

Jacqueline waited until she heard a click at the end of the line, signaling that the call had ended. Slowly, she retracted the phone from her ear and sat in silence, her eyes were stuck on the wall in front of her, and her father's words were repeating in her mind.

Follow your gut. It never lies.

* * *

 **A/N:** This was a really short chapter and I do apologize for that. I have been suffering from the worst writer's block, which is why it took me so long to get this up. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

A review would be much appreciated!

(edited 4/30/18)


	10. Part I: X

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel**

* * *

 _"Jackie."_

Natasha's voice rung through her ears, jolting Jacqueline awake from her semi-sleep. Her heart was racing a mile a minute. She maneuvered onto her side and pressed a hand up to her ear, she must have slept with her earpiece still in. After clearing her throat a few times, Jacqueline finally answered back. "Yeah, what, what's wrong?"

 _"I just had a session with Loki and I managed to get him to confess something."_

Jacqueline looked around her make-shift room, her swollen eyes trying to scout out where her phone was. "What time is it?" She asked, completely dodging what Natasha had just told her.

 _"Early enough for you to be up."_

"I feel like I didn't even get any sleep." Jacqueline declared, falling back against the pillows.

 _"Did you even hear what I just told you?"_

The agent remained silent, a hand rested against her forehead, and her mind desperately tried to recollect what Natasha said, not even two minutes ago. "Something about Loki?"

 _"Loki is going to use Banner against us."_

"What?" Jacqueline sat up fully, brushing back the strands of hair that had fallen in her face. "How is he going to—"

 _"He's going to unleash the Hulk."_

Jacqueline went still. Her system shocked to its core. Nothing was coming to her mind, she had no idea what she was supposed to say. Finally, she only managed to mutter one word. "How?"

 _"I'll meet you in the labs."_

"I'll be right there."

Jacqueline launched off her cot and readily prepared herself. She had fallen asleep in her stealth suit. Instead of wasting time changing out of it, she decided to keep it on. After a quick wash of the face and running a brush through her hair, Jacqueline left her room in a hurry. If Natasha was right, which Jacqueline was sure she was, then the information had to be relayed to the others, quickly. The last thing anyone needs is for the Hulk to run rampant on this Helicarrier.

When she arrived back at the lab, the first thing she saw made her stop dead in her tracks. Bruce, Tony and Fury were all standing around, talking and by the look on Tony's face, Jacqueline knew that he has stumbled upon something. Despite her initial hesitation, Jacqueline stepped into the lab, garnering Tony's attention, but he merely smiled at her.

"What's going on here?" Jacqueline asked, her voice edging on the tone of cautious.

"Oh, nothing," Tony quipped. He gestured over at Fury. "We were just talking, right?"

"About what?"

"Why don't we ask Fury?" Tony's suggestion made her wary, as she glanced over at Fury, she could sense he was uncomfortable, or rather anxious. "What's Phase 2?"

With her eyes still on Fury, she asked, "Phase 2?"

Then, she was startled by a loud crash from behind her. She jumped and turned to see Steve standing next to a gun that he had set down on a table. "Phase 2 is SHIELD using the Tesseract to make weapons." He then glanced over at Tony, "Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow for me."

But, Jacqueline was too distracted by the gun. The model of the weapon, it looked strangely familiar. "That-is that?"

"It's a HYDRA weapon, I found it in a stash in one of the lower levels," Steve answered, but there was something off about his voice. And when she looked at him, his eyes were casting accusations at her. It didn't take a genius to know what he was thinking. He thought she knew about this.

The only thing she could do was scoff at his silent assumption. Her eyes lowered, looking back down at the gun. And Steve caught onto something that made him doubt his assumption. The way that her eyes seemed glossed over and the sheer look of confusion on her face. His stance toward her softened, drastically.

Jacqueline turned to Fury, her eyes ablaze with accusation, confusion, and growing anger. "All this time, the plan was to use the Tesseract to create weapons?"

"We gathered everything we knew about the Tesseract, just because—"

"I'm sorry, Nick." Tony eagerly spoke up and showcased the blueprints from Phase 2 on a screen. Jacqueline was allowed to gather enough to know that Tony was right.

Shit, he was right the whole time. Fury was hiding something, right underneath her nose.

"Using the Tesseract to make weapons of mass destruction?" Jacqueline asked, waiting for Fury to look back at her. "This is not what SHIELD was founded on."

"Times have changed, Lewis. You should understand that."

"SHIELD was meant to protect," Jacqueline's voice wavered. Everyone noticed it, even her, but she did nothing to cover it up. Now, all she could think about was Peggy and Howard. All the hard work they put into this organization. This was like a slap in the face to their dedication. "Now you're carrying around HYDRA weapons and plan on using an unstable energy source to make more weapons!"

"I guess we were all mistaken," Steve stepped up, his eyes glaring down at Nick. "The world hasn't changed one bit."

The other entryway to the lab slid open allowing Natasha and Thor to walk in right at the perfect moment too, Jacqueline noted. But, Jacqueline didn't pay real mind to their arrival. She was too busy staring at Fury, waiting and hoping for a real explanation of what Tony and Steve had found.

"Did you know about this?" Bruce pointed an accusing finger at Natasha, that was rather bold of him. Anyone else wouldn't have dared to challenge her like that. Although, if someone's reputation was made from turning into a huge green monster, then you really don't have to be afraid of anyone.

"I think maybe you should remove yourself from this environment, Doctor." Natasha advised with a calm even tone. Her stance was firm and calculated. She was making sure not to do anything to really upset him.

"No, you see, I was always well removed while in Calcutta." The faint snark that was in Bruce's voice made Jacqueline blink in shock. His original persona when she met him on the docks was one of calm and collected. Here he seemed like he could literally snap.

"Now, you didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you." Natasha retorted.

"Yes, and I'm not going to leave this Helicarrier just because all of you start to act twitchy," Bruce pointed at the blueprints, his demanding eyes glared down at Fury, Natasha, even Jacqueline, to answer what he was going to ask next. "I want to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."

Everyone was silent. The tension was so thick that anyone could cut it with a knife. Jacqueline had nothing to say, despite Bruce glaring down at her. She had no knowledge of what Phase 2 was. She was just as pissed as everyone else.

She looked over at Fury, hoping that he would be the one to own up and explain. And, after a few more seconds of silence, he finally did. "It's because of him," he pointed a finger at the Asgardian.

Jacqueline was so gobsmacked by Fury's proclamation, she let out a fairly high pitched, "huh?" It made Tony snort and she snapped her mouth shut. She sounded like a high school student who didn't understand what the teacher had just said.

"Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town."

Finally, it all started to piece itself together. Jacqueline wasn't there during the event, but it was hard not to know anything about it. Up until that point, SHIELD hadn't come across anything like it. And it was a terrifying thought, not only were there other life forms out there, but they were equipped with the power to destroy whole towns. That was very unsettling.

"We learned that not only are we not alone but that we are hopelessly, and hilariously, outgunned."

Jacqueline pressed a hand to her forehead and exhaled a loud sigh. It all made sense now. And she hated it. She hated the fact that she understood why SHIELD was doing this. They weren't creating these weapons just for the hell of it. There was a legitimate reason. But, to use the Tesseract? After seeing just, a fraction of what that thing is capable of, this plan was completely insane.

"Sir," Jacqueline started, "as much as I don't like it, I do understand why SHIELD created Phase 2. But, we saw what the Tesseract was capable of. Why would you want to go around poking at it even more?"

"It's so that we can protect this planet, from others who may try and come here to take control."

"My people want nothing, but peace with your people." Thor, finally, stepped up to try and defend himself and his home planet.

"But you're not the only people out there, are you?" Fury retorted. This was all too much. Her head started to ache. "You're not the only threat," Fury continued. "The world is filling up with people you can't be matched. Who can't be controlled."

"Like you tried to control the cube?" Steve questioned. "Look what happened there."

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki towards it," Thor announced, the defense in his voice was much more prominent now. "It is a signal to all the other realms that the earth is ready for a high form of war."

She couldn't stand upright anymore. Jacqueline leaned against the table behind her, one hand still pressed against her temples. "Shit, shit, shit," she whispered vehemently, "what the fuck have we done?"

"We needed to be ready, in the event that someone else decided to attack." Fury went on, not even hearing Jacqueline's quiet freak out.

"Oh, yeah, right. Your emergency plan was to create a nuclear deterrent because that's always going to calm things down." This time, Tony spoke up.

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?" Fury threw the ball at Tony, who seemed genuinely unaffected by it. Until Steve decided to start talking about him as well.

"I'm sure that if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep—"

"Wait a minute, hold on," Tony stepped forward, "how is this now about me?"

"I'm sorry, isn't everything?"

Jacqueline looked up, eyes slightly widened as she looked at Tony and Steve, who were slowly inching closer to each other. And soon enough, the entire room erupted in a monotonous argument. She took a moment to take in the sight. Tony and Steve were going at each other, while the rest were taking several jabs at one another, effectively leaving her out, which was sort of a relief. She didn't want to argue, she didn't have the patience to argue right now.

"I thought humans were more evolved than this," Thor ridiculed, to which he ended with a small laugh. "You all speak of control, yet you court chaos."

"It's his M.O., isn't it?" Bruce asked, to which everyone finally stopped arguing and focused their attention on the Doctor. "What are we supposed to be? A team?" He then scoffed at the thought. "No. No, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're all nothing but a time bomb."

Jacqueline took notice of Bruce's posture. His one arm was crossed tightly over his chest, his fingers were twitching, anxiously. That was a red flag. Both she and Fury became cautious.

"Doctor Banner, you need to step away now." Fury cautioned as he took a step towards him.

"Oh, come on, why shouldn't we let the guy let off a little steam?" _God dammit, Tony._

"You know damn well why now back off!" Steve interjected and when Jacqueline glanced over at them, she saw that Tony had backed up a few inches.

"I'm starting to want you to make me."

"Tony." Jacqueline let out her first warning.

"Big man in a suit of armor. Take all that off, what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist," Tony answered as if the answer just rolled off his tongue.

"I know some people with none of that who are worth ten of you." Jacqueline blinked. While Tony was good at hiding how he felt, she could see that Steve's words got to him. "I've seen the footage. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you."

Tony shrugged. "I think that I would just cut the wire."

Steve shook his head, with a hint of unsurprising, disappointment. "Always a way out. You know, you might not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

"A hero? What, you mean like you? You're just a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle."

She couldn't stand it anymore. Jacqueline charged over to the two men and stepped in-between them. "Alright, you two need to knock it off now."

But, Steve continued, almost like he completely ignored the fact that she was standing in the middle of them. "Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds."

"That's enough!" Her yell was able to snap the men out of it. "This is going to get us nowhere."

Bruce surveyed the scene and couldn't help but laugh at the whole thing. "Yeah, look at us, we're a team alright."

"Agent Romanoff, would you please escort Doctor Banner out of the lab?"

"Where? You already rented my room out." Jacqueline couldn't help but purse her lips at his statement. When she had met him on the deck, she had been nothing but genuine with him. Treating him as an equal, without being timid around him. And the whole time, SHIELD had a glass cell, specially prepared for him, in case of the worst possible situation.

"The cell was just in case…"

"In case you needed to kill me." Bruce finished for him. "But, you can't, I know. I've already tried."

The words made a breath hitch in her throat, and next to her, she could feel Tony's figure tense up. He'd already tried to kill himself. No one knew how to respond to that.

"I got low," Bruce explained. "I didn't see an end for me, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out. So, I decided to move on. I focused on helping other people. And I was good until you people decided to drag me back into this mess and in doing so, put everyone on board at risk!"

Jacqueline's wave of empathy for the man, soon receded when she saw him reach for the scepter behind him. Her eyes returned to his face, but her hand, instinctively, reached for the gun that was strapped to her hip. Her fingers just lightly grasping the handle, making sure that it was ready to be used.

"Doctor Banner," Steve finally spoke up. "Put down the scepter."

Bruce's brow creased as he gazed down, seeing the weapon in his hand. Slowly, he placed it back on the table. Allowing, Fury, Natasha, and Jacqueline to release the hold on their guns.

One of the monitors started beeping, pumping life back into the room. "Sorry everyone, guess you won't get to see my party trick after all." Bruce crossed the room, avoiding eye contact.

"Is it the Tesseract?" Thor asked. But, Tony was the one who jumped the gun, quicker than anyone.

"I can get there fast."

"No, the Tesseract belongs on Asgard. No human is a match for it."

Jacqueline watched Bruce carefully, waiting to hear his confirmation. During which, Tony and Steve started to bicker again. Jacqueline eventually had to pinch Tony in the arm to get him to stop, which he did, much to his discomfort. But, the look on Bruce's face concerned her. He looked surprised…terrified. She saw him mouth the words, "oh my god."

A split second later. An explosion rocked through the vessel. Jacqueline only saw a large wall of fire in front of her, and a force sending her backward, before everything went black.

* * *

The first thing Jacqueline noticed, was how the air smelled of thick smoke. When she took in a breath, she was overcome with a coughing fit. The alarm was sounding throughout the hallways, as a voice boomed over the system, announcing that the carrier was under attack.

"Fuck!" Jacqueline cursed. She turned to her side and hunched over more, gagging at the burning sensation in her throat.

There was glass everywhere around her, along with the destroyed remains of the monitors and tables. Jacqueline stumbled to her feet and looked around. The blast had thrown her against the lab wall where most of it had been glass. Luckily, she didn't get thrown out the room. And another thing she noticed, there was no one else in the room with her.

 _"Lewis, do you copy?"_

The sound of Fury's voice brought so much relief, one that she never felt when it came to him. She heaved, trying to catch her breath, even one of her hands pressed against her stomach. "I'm alright." She finally managed to answer.

Then, she was on the move. She staggered out of the lab and 'jogged' the rest of the way, back towards the main console room. It was then that she heard a deep, hearty roar coming from the lower levels, and it made her stop dead in her tracks.

That's not good.

After this, she ran faster, despite stumbling a few times. Her footing was still a bit off after having been in an explosion. Honestly, she was surprised that she wasn't dead. When she arrived, everyone was scrambling around, trying to mend whatever damages had been done. Alex was the first to spot her and quickly approached her, searching for any noticeable injuries.

"You alright?"

Jacqueline leaned against him, only for a moment, "I was just in an explosion. I'm not in the best state right now."

"Understandable," Alex answered, his arm wrapping around her to offer physical support.

Fury turned and noticed the pair. "Lewis. Devane. I need you to search the lower levels and start with the evacs." Jacqueline nodded, but the exhaustion in her face was evident to Fury. "Lewis, do you need to go to the medbay?"

After a beat, Jacqueline vehemently, shook her head and leaned away from Alex. "I'm fine, sir. We can do this."

Fury nodded. "Get to it, then."

Both agents turned towards the exit, when something rolled into the room, towards them. They both noticed it, but Alex was quicker to react. "Grenade!" He shouted as he pushed both himself and Jacqueline out of the way.

Another explosion ripped through the room, making Jacqueline flinch and curl up in Alex's hold. She just survived a huge explosion, she didn't need to go through another one.

Alex and Jacqueline, quickly, jumped to their feet, as a flock of men in SHIELD uniform, stormed in, wielding guns. Of course, they were Loki's men. And, of course, they just had to be wearing SHIELD uniforms.

Jacqueline pulled out her gun, raised it up in an aim, and pulled the trigger. She was able to hit a few of the men. Alex and Maria followed suit, garnering her cover, as she took refuge against the wall, near the entryway. There, she waited for another man to walk through. When he did, Jacqueline kicked his knee, hearing a sharp crack noise. The man screamed out and fell to one knee. This allowed Jacqueline enough time to strike a blow to the back of his head, sending him to the ground.

With a wave of her hand, Alex rushed over and picked up the man's gun. They were going to need it once they ventured out into the open hallways.

Jacqueline, with her gun aimed in front of her, face out the hallway and said back to Alex, "cover me."

With the weapon secured in his hands, he complied, "I got your back." He then tapped her shoulder, queuing for her to go.

Jacqueline walked out of the hallway, her feet moving swiftly and effortlessly. She was barely making any noise. That was a form of training that was ingrained in her mind. To be as quiet on her feet as she possibly could. It worked wonders, especially during high stake missions that required infiltrating locations.

Her recollection was cut short. Another man was heading towards their direction and they both took refuge behind a wall. As he passed by, Jacqueline grabbed hold of his arm and struck him across the face. That gave her ample time to knock the gun out of his hands and deliver three kicks into his abdomen. Then, in one last effort, she made one last kick to his head, knocking him unconscious.

"Right, then." She breathed out and made sure that no more of Loki's men were heading in their direction. Then, they continued on their way.

They were halfway down the hallway when the gravity shifted. Alex and Jacqueline came to a stop as Sitwell's voice came through their comms, "Engine 1 has lost all power." Jacqueline turned to Alex, with wide eyes, did he really just say that?

Then, the ship started to tilt.

Jacqueline's balance was thrown off as she started to slide. "Shit!" She cursed, then she lost her balance completely and fell to her side. "This is not the way I want to go out!"

Alex fell down next to her. Now they were in an awkward position. The ship was tilted in such a way that they were standing on the wall and using the floor as a support. "Go along with it!"

Jacqueline surveyed the situation. Her feet were pressed against the wall, with her arm leaning against the floor. That really messed with her head. It should be the other way around. Regardless, Alex said to go with it, that meant to find her balance. She used the floor as support, to lean her body far enough to where she could start walking.

 _"Stark, we're starting to lose altitude!"_

 _"Yeah, I noticed."_

Fury and Tony's voice filtered through her comms. At least, Tony was okay, and that he was fixing the engine. Jacqueline and Alex continued on down the lopsided hallway, not encountering any more of Loki's men. Made sense. They were farther down, getting closer to the detention ward and the storage. They were going after the main room, they wouldn't be down here.

Or would they?

The ship began to stabilize. Once again, Jacqueline and Alex had to re-balance themselves once the ship was finally leveled. When everything was back to normal, she took off running toward the main stairwell. They both came to a stop. Fury said that they needed to start evacs on the lower levels. That's where they needed to be. They both turned to head for the stairwell when Coulson's voice came through the comms.

 _"Loki's gone."_ Jacqueline paused, her widened eyes looked up at Alex. _"If anyone could come down to the detention area…that would be…much appreciated."_

Coulson didn't sound too good. Jacqueline quickly responded. "Coulson, it's Lewis. I'll be right there."

"Let me go with you."

Jacqueline shook off Alex's offer. "Fury still needs evac down in the lower level. Go down there, help anyone who needs it. I'll go check on Coulson."

The agents touched elbows, which was their thing they always did. It was a gesture of good luck. Then, they separated.

This time, Jacqueline sprinted, all the way to the detention center. The sound of Coulson's voice was worrying. He sounded weak, tired. Like he had just gotten into the biggest fight of his life. Like something was terribly wrong.

Oh god.

By the time she arrived, she was heaving, her chest was rising, up and down, and her legs felt numb. But, when she stumbled into the room and saw Coulson, leaned up against the wall, blood staining his shirt, she felt her entire body go cold.

No.

Jacqueline hurried to his side and knelt down in front of him. "How you are doing, Lewis?" Coulson was attempting to make a light conversation. Of course, he would. That was one-hundred percent, Coulson.

"Don't worry about me," she gently pulled his jacket away, enough to see the gaping hole in his chest. "We need to worry about you." She then spoke through the comms, "I need medics at the detention level, stat! Sir," she was now speaking to Fury directly. "You might want to get down here."

 _"On my way."_

For right now, she was trying to figure out what she needed to do. She didn't have the medical knowledge to treat a wound like this. There was nothing for her to stop the bleeding with. She didn't even know how serious the injury was. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Loki got out," Coulson began, having to swallow several times to find the strength to even talk. "I came in here, with this," he gestured, weakly, at the gun in his lap. "Then, he nicked me right in the back."

She cringed. Loki stabbed him, through the back, and it went all the way through. If she knew anything, Jacqueline knew that was a fatal injury, especially, to have it in the chest.

For a moment, she didn't say anything, she merely stared at Coulson. His lips were stained with blood, and his eyes, they were slowly draining. The image before her, made her flinch, as an old memory clawed its way to the surface. And, she could see him again. It wasn't Coulson, sitting in front of her, bloodied. No. It was another agent, a partner, who was one of many designated fallen, who never returned from a mission. She remembered it all. She could see his eyes, his dead, unchanging eyes that were completely drained of all life. They were staring right at her. And the blood. There was so much blood, pooling under his head, on her, it was everything. The smell of it is what has stuck with her, through all these years. She could push away the images to the back of her mind. But, that smell, it will never go away.

And she could feel it. The constricting in her throat, like a hand, was closing around it, slowly choking her. Her eyes, which were just beginning to sting from the tears that were brimming. She couldn't help her partner, and she sure as hell, can't help Coulson.

"Just stay with me, alright?" When she finally spoke, her voice was so quiet and alarming. Like she was going to break down at any moment. Coulson could spot it so easily. He'd known Jacqueline since she first started working here. He's seen her through successful missions and ones that failed. He saw her go through PTSD, which wasn't a fond memory. But, with Coulson, Jacqueline never felt the urge to hide whatever she felt. He never ridiculed or judged her. He had been nothing, but supportive towards her. Even becoming somewhat of a mentor.

Now, here he was. Bleeding and dying in front of her. And, they both knew, there was nothing that could be done for him.

Fury arrived, shortly after. Jacqueline moved away so that Fury could take her spot, right in front of Coulson, which she was rather relieved. If she had sat in front of him any longer, she would have definitely broken down.

"Sorry, boss," Coulson tried his best at a sincere apology. "He got away."

"Don't worry about that right now," Fury moved the gun away from Coulson, "just stay awake, and keep your eyes on me."

Coulson exhaled a sigh, "I'm starting to clock out here."

"Not an option."

At this point, Jacqueline effectively tuned out everything around her. She heard nothing, felt nothing. The only thing that still kept her grounded in reality, was watching Coulson, struggling with every breath he took, with every word that fell from his lips. She knew it was coming. But, when Coulson's eyes went still and the faint rising of his chest, ceased, that was it. She knew he was gone.

She didn't know what to do. Should she cry? Or, yell in absolute rage? She was angry, beyond angry, at Loki for doing all of this. But, she couldn't react. It was as if her body was experiencing a delayed response to what she just witnessed.

She felt that familiar, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. That same feeling she felt while lying on the floor of an abandoned warehouse, in Argentina. Staring at her dead partner, who was lying only a few feet from where she was. That's when it hit her. The constricting in her throat worsened, the tears brimmed, threatening to spill out. She tried breathing in and gave a silent gag. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't…shit.

In a quick movement, Jacqueline stumbled out of the detention center and walked a short distance, enough to where no one would see her. And, it hit her full throttle. She opened her mouth to suck in air, but all she was doing was dry heaving. The grip around her neck, tightened, little by little. She tried bending forward, hands on her knees, but that tactic didn't work. In response, she leaned up against the wall behind her and slid down till she was sitting on the grates.

She thought back to the tactic she had learned in therapy. Take ten deep breaths, while doing so, calm her mind. She did just that. She took on the first deep breath, slow exhale. Second Breath. Slow exhale. In turn, she slowed down her mind, trying to put the images back into the recesses of her mind.

Third breath. Fourth breath.

She flooded her mind with good memories. Her first piano lesson, or all the fishing trips her and her dad would go on together. She even thought about the time when Tony first introduced her to JARVIS, which had been not long after the real Jarvis passed away. Despite being an A.I., he had grown into a companion for both Tony and Jacqueline. Some may find it odd to have an A.I. as a friend, it was normal to her.

Fifth breath. Sixth breath.

Her heart slowed its pace, the tightening in her throat, gradually loosened.

As she went for the seventh breath, all of her emotions came over her like a tidal wave. The tears finally broke free and streamed down her cheeks. And her throat felt tighter, but not in a bad way. She was trying to choke back cries, not struggling to breathe. A hand quickly covered her mouth, stifling the cries as the tears continued to spill.

Here she was. Jacqueline Lewis. A SHIELD agent, who was crying in the middle of a hallway. Usually, she would think of herself as looking pathetic. But, not this time. Granted, this wasn't the first time she's done this. And she couldn't help but wonder. How royally screwed are they? Loki escaped and has his scepter and the Tesseract. They were on a severely damaged Helicarrier, with nothing to go on from. And now, Coulson was dead.

What the hell were they supposed to do now?

* * *

 **A/N:** So what did you all think? We are getting closer and closer to the battle. Hope you all are excited! A review would be much appreciated! ALSO, THIS STORY HIT 100 FOLLOWS! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! It may seem weird but that honestly makes me so happy. I'm just glad that people enjoy my story!

Until next time!

(edited 4/30/18)


	11. Part I: XI

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel**

* * *

She didn't watch them take Coulson's body away. She made sure not to.

Jacqueline remained in her spot, which was down some lonely corridor, her back still against the wall. Her knees were tucked in, close to her chest, and her arms were wrapped around them. She had finally calmed down from her episode, but she felt drained, and emotionless. All that she could think about was Coulson. The total helplessness of not being able to help him. Seeing him die right in front of her.

The last thing Jacqueline ever expected, was to see Phil Coulson die.

She didn't know how long she had been in her spot. The tears stains were dried completely on her cheeks and there was complete silence around her. No one came back down to the detention area. It was like the area was a desolate zone. No one wanted to come near it. That meant she wouldn't have to deal with anyone finding her. She wouldn't have to explain anything.

It felt like an eternity when Fury's voice came through her comms. _"Lewis."_

Jacqueline remained silent, not making the effort to respond to him. But, Fury tried again. _"Lewis, I know you can hear me."_ He paused, waiting to see if she would respond when she didn't, he continued. _"I'm calling a small meeting. When you're ready, get back to the control room."_

A meeting. Was she really up for that? She just finished one of her episodes, now, all she wanted to do was crawl into bed. She was exhausted. Plus, the idea of facing anyone right now was making her feel sick. But, she was still on a mission. She still had a job to do. Taking a few deeper breaths, she got herself back on her feet and made the trek back towards the control room.

During the walk there, she took notice of her stealth suit. She could see where pieces of glass had hit her, creating small tears in the fabric. And, there was some fire damage as well. This made her think about how damn lucky she was that she didn't get severely burned in that explosion. Or, even more lucky, that she didn't die. A blast like that, and the close proximity she was to it, it could have easily killed her.

Thinking about how close she was to death, made her sink even more into the mental bottomless pit that her mind has created since Coulson died.

When she arrived at the control room, Tony and Steve were sitting at the table, while Fury was standing at the end. They were clearly waiting for her. Then, Fury's eyes shifted on her, which prompted Steve and Tony to do so as well. And while they all were surprised at her state, Steve seemed more shocked. Her eyes were still red and slightly swollen, and her cheeks were inflamed with irritation, which was from the dried tear stains. Ignoring their looks, she sauntered over towards the table and took a seat, two away from Steve, not daring to meet their gazes.

They all sat in silence. The event of Coulson's death was still a shock, each time they replayed the words in their heads. It all felt like a bad dream. That at any moment, they would wake up from it. But, with each passing second, that all became nothing but a wishful idea.

"These were in Phil Coulson's jacket," Fury finally spoke up. "Guess he never did get you to sign them."

Jacqueline's eyes averted to the cards that Fury had thrown onto the table. They were Coulson's vintage Captain America trading cards. And they were drenched in blood. She felt her body tense at the sight of Steve reaching out for one of the cards.

"We're dead in the air up here, our communications, the location of the cube, Banner, Thor." Fury sounded defeated, which wasn't common with him. "I've got nothing for you."

Hopelessness. That's what all of this was.

"I lost my one good eye," Fury paused, shaking his head in the process. "Well, maybe I had that coming." Silence followed his words. No one had anything to stay. Honestly, what could any of them say at a time like this?

"Yes, we were planning on using the Tesseract to build an arsenal," Fury came clean. Funny how it takes the Helicarrier to be ambushed and Coulson dying for him to finally spill out the truth. "But, I never put all of my chips on that card, because I was playing with something riskier."

Jacqueline stared down at her hands, which were resting in her lap and slowly leaned back against her chair.

"There was an idea," Fury began. "Lewis and Stark knew about this, called the Avengers Initiative."

Jacqueline finally raised her head, and glanced over at Tony, noticing how still he was. "The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them, to fight battles we never could."

Fury paused and focused his attention over at Tony. "Phil Coulson died believing in that cause. In the idea of one thing, heroes."

Tony stood from his chair, and Jacqueline looked up at him, watching as he walked out of the control room. He didn't even say a word to them. How could she blame him?

"Well, it's an old fashion notion."

Jacqueline's eyes slowly lowered, until they were fixed on the bloodied trading cards. She hadn't felt this helpless since… her eyes closed, as she tried to desperately push away the memory.

"I don't think there's much we can do right now. As of now, we're trying to find whatever lead we can." Fury informed Steve and Jacqueline. "If we find anything, we'll let you know."

Jacqueline gave a faint nod but remained quiet. She didn't even verbally acknowledge Fury when he left her and Steve at the table. Usually, she would have felt awkward, just sitting in silence with him. But, neither of them felt that. They were too shell-shocked from Coulson's death, there was no room in themselves to feel anything else, other than grief and confusion.

Steve carefully placed the card he had been holding, back down onto the table. Being as gentle as he could, almost like it would shatter into pieces at the slightest bump. It prompted Jacqueline to finally look up at him. She could tell just by looking at his eyes, that he felt lost. He felt guilty. Almost like he could have done sometime to prevent what happened. When in reality, there was nothing he could have done. If anything, Jacqueline is the one who should be feeling that way. She was with Coulson when he died, she saw the extent of his wounds, and knew right then, there was nothing she could have done to save him. He was too critical.

It took a moment, but Steve's eyes met hers and for the first time, in the past few hours, there was no tension in their features. Steve no longer suspected her of hiding HYDRA weapons and Jacqueline no longer sensed that threat. But, there was something different about her that Steve couldn't exactly put his finger on. She looked too distant, almost like she was going into a deep trance like she wasn't fully there. Her eyes were still red and swollen, she had been crying, that much he could tell. Though, he couldn't blame her. He didn't know the extent of her relationship with Coulson, however judging by the remnants of her reaction, he surmised that they were close enough.

They had been doing nothing but staring at each other. Jacqueline was the first one to catch onto this. She offered Steve the best reassuring smile she could conjure up. Then, without saying anything, she stood up from the table and walked out into the main hallway and continued to walk. The last thing she wanted was for Steve Rogers to see her have another, possible breakdown.

She didn't know where she was heading, she thought that if she just kept herself walking, then maybe all of this would be over. Maybe this would be revealed to be a bad dream and she would wake up from it. But, that hope was farfetched. It all happened. The more she tried the process it, the harder it was to label it as reality. It wasn't long before Jacqueline ended up at one of the infirmary rooms. She had heard through the comms that Natasha was taking Clint to get help, most likely with the brainwashing he suffered from Loki.

Jacqueline walked down the quiet corridor until she came to the door that led to where Clint was. She stopped and stared through the window, seeing that he was lying on his cot and Natasha was sitting right next to him, keeping a watchful eye on him. Typical sight between those two. Jacqueline was tempted to just continue walking, but she had not seen or spoken to Clint since before Loki came through the portal. She thought that maybe speaking with him might cheer her up.

Raising her hand, she gently knocked on the metal door. Natasha and Clint glanced up as she opened the door, greeting Clint with a semi-real smile. "How are you feeling?"

Clint huffed out a laugh and gestured to the redhead next to him. "My head feels like it weighs a ton, no thanks to this one."

"It was the only way to re-calibrate your mind. If I hadn't, you would probably still be brainwashed."

Jacqueline hummed at Natasha's defense, "sounds like you owe her one, Clint."

"Don't worry, I know I do." Clint did a quick view over Jacqueline and his face, immediately fell with concern. "You okay?"

Jacqueline hesitated, her voice got caught in her throat, she didn't know exactly how to answer his question. "Did you two hear about Coulson?"

Natasha's eyes down cast as she slowly nodded her head. "Heard it through the comms." Her voice was low and calm, but it trembled slightly towards the end. Jacqueline knew that was Natasha's tactic for trying to keep herself from letting her emotions get the better of her.

Jacqueline merely nodded. "I was there," she paused when Natasha looked at her. "I was with Coulson, when he," she couldn't say it. "We're dead up in the air, Banner is gone and so is Thor. Loki also got out, along with the scepter and the Tesseract."

Clint made a noise that was a combination of exhaustion and disbelief. "We're just gradually losing this battle, aren't we?"

The more she thought about it, the less optimistic she became. This whole situation seemed to get crappier as the minutes ticked by. Right now, she felt like as if there was nothing any of them could do. Nothing to turn all of this around. "I'm just glad to see that you're alright."

Clint took her words and nodded in his agreement. "I'm sorry about the whole shooting at you."

Jacqueline shook her head, not taking Clint's words seriously. "It wasn't your fault. You had no control over it."

Clint didn't say any more. He could try and argue with her statement until he was blue in the face, but she would only retort with the same thing. It wasn't his fault, which was true. Clint had no control over his actions, but he still did them. And he remembers it all. He can't help but feel guilty for a lot that has happened.

Jacqueline tapped her fingers against the threshold and bit down on her lip. "I'll leave you to rest. It's nice having you back, Clint." She went to leave when Natasha's voice stopped her.

"Jackie," the agent paused and turned back halfway, "you okay?"

The sides of her mouth twitched and Jacqueline shook her head, letting out an emotionless laugh. Of course, Natasha was able to pick up the slightest change in her attitude. Made sense. Natasha was one of the few people who was by Jacqueline's side while she went through the first instance of PTSD. After Jacqueline went through an extensive recovery, she was always prone to having episodes. Anything that would trigger the memory, would send her into one. Natasha, as well as Alex, have grown accustomed to picking out the subtle differences in her attitude after she went through one.

So, when Jacqueline finally left, Natasha didn't chase her down. The agent knew the best thing for her, was to be alone. She would check back on her in a little while after she calmed down a bit more.

But, Jacqueline didn't know what she was doing. She walked aimlessly through the vessel, didn't acknowledge the workers who passed her. What was she supposed to do? Go lie down in her room? Get herself something to eat? She was totally lost in her own clouded mind, she ended up at the lounge she had been in earlier. And the same as last time, there was no one around. She took full advantage and slumped down in one of the chairs.

Finally, she was alone. She could be with herself, gather her thoughts and try to calm her mind. But, the more she tried to pull herself together, the more she thought about it. Only this time, it wasn't about Coulson, it was about her failed mission in Argentina. It was about her partner, who she and Alex failed to save. Her hand went to rub her left shoulder as it began to ache with a searing throb. The wound she received, from a sniper perched on the railings. She had never been injured as severely on a mission before. She remembers how much she panicked at seeing her body bleed like that. And the pain… it was nothing like she had ever experienced before.

She passed out from lack of blood. The last thing she remembers in the immediate aftermath, was Alex's face looming over her, as he desperately tried to control the bleeding. When she woke up, it was in the infirmary. Natasha was there, on her bedside and the first thing she said was, 'welcome back, kid'. During Jacqueline's early years at S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha bestowed upon her the nickname of 'kid'. Over the years, the usage dwindled, but there are still certain moments when Natasha would dig out the old nickname. At first, it was a nuisance to Jacqueline, but now, she rather liked it when Natasha would use it.

And for the first time, in the past hour, Jacqueline cracked the first genuine smile. Natasha has always been viewed as intimidating and stoic. Most would foolishly think that she was just a stone-cold person, but the truth was a complete 180. During her recovery, Jacqueline got to see Natasha as a real friend. She was there with Jacqueline every day in the infirmary, telling her stories, trying to make her laugh. If only everyone could see Natasha in this state, but she would never allow that. She was only this comfortable around people she trusted completely and would do anything for. Jacqueline always felt rather lucky to have the Black Widow on her good side.

Her recollection broke as she groaned in frustration and leaned her head back. She wanted to forget that any of it happened. She didn't want to have these memories, who would?

"Jacqueline."

She was startled out of her trance by a voice. She sat up and saw Steve slowly making his way towards her. Quickly, she situated herself in a more decent position. "How did you know where I was?"

Steve paused, standing just a few feet away from her, a little perplexed by her question. "I didn't. I just," he looked at their settings. "After you left, I just went walking and I saw you here. I was going to just leave you alone, but I remembered that I needed to tell you something."

 _Oh_ , she nodded. "Okay." Then, she gestured for him to sit in one of the chairs, which he did.

"I wanted to apologize."

He was apologizing? That took her mind for a spin. "For what?"

"Earlier, when we were in the lab talking about Phase 2 and I thought that—"

"You thought that I was a part of it." She finished for him. "That I knew all along what S.H.I.E.L.D. was planning." She shook her head, not in disappointment, but rather she understood why he did. But, she had to be honest with herself. After leaving the control room, she had forgotten about Steve's accusation against her. It wasn't important anymore. "You don't need to apologize to me, I would have done the exact same thing if I were in your place."

"No," Steve vehemently shook his head. "I should have allowed myself to trust you. I should have known that you would have never gone along with something like that."

"You couldn't have known," she gently assured him. "We still don't know each other that well."

"I know you better than anyone else on this vessel."

Jacqueline felt her heart thumping against her chest. The way he said it, the look in his eyes as stared at her, he meant it. While there was an element of truth in it, Jacqueline never imagined that she would hear Steve Rogers say those words.

"Not to mention...you're Addie's granddaughter."

She stilled at the mention of her grandmother. An unfamiliar sensation settled in her stomach. It only just hit her how _present_ Steve was in her family. He saved her grandfather, possibly ensuring that both she and her mother would be born. The idea that Steve had a hand in her own existence was incredibly odd.

"You've done so much for me since I woke up." He continued. "Considering I was in the ice for almost seventy years, you being there with me, helped a lot."

"I wanted to help you."

"I know. You and S.H.I.E.L.D. could have easily just left me there, alone. But, you didn't. I should have known that I could trust you…and I'm sorry that I thought any differently."

She could feel a small lump forming in her throat and tried to clear her throat, in an attempt to rid of the knot that had suddenly appeared. Was Steve Rogers making her cry? She just lost someone, a close colleague, and now Steve Rogers was getting all sentimental with her, that's the last thing she needed right now. She's done enough crying for today.

"I accept your apology," she finally said, her voice heavy from trying to suppress tears. "But, really, you have nothing to be sorry about. You had every right to be skeptical." In an attempt to further the peace, Jacqueline extended a hand out to Steve, who took it in his own. A handshake of truths. It was a little awkward, in her mind, but at least it seemed to diffuse whatever tension had been left over.

"Are you okay, though?" She raised a brow at his question, prompting him to continue. "During Fury's briefing, you seemed really…out of it?" His voice tapered towards the end, he didn't want to say anything that would offend her.

"Not really," she stared down at her hands, which were resting in her lap. "Just a lot happened today, it's really difficult to process it all."

Steve nodded. "I understand."

"I was with him," she suddenly blurted out. "I was with Coulson when he…when he died. And it just," she made a gesture with her hand. "It brought up a lot of memories for me. Bad ones."

Steve caught on. He's seen it before, in the soldiers he fought with during the war. Men who had seen unspeakable horrors, some of them would often be found in trances, remembering what they had witnessed. And that was when it was fresh in their minds. This seemed like Jacqueline had been living with these memories, for quite some time.

"Did you lose someone?"

The question caught her off guard, and at first, all she could do was stare at him. In doing so, she started thinking about the mission. Running every detail of that day through her mind, she could start to feel her eyes sting with tears. Finally, she slowly nodded her head.

He didn't ask anything else. He knew how that felt. Every night since he woke up, all he saw when he closed his eyes was Bucky falling from the train. And the guilt that ate away at him. The guilt of not being quick enough, not being quick enough to save his best friend. But, she was grateful that he didn't ask anything else. If anything, she felt as if she had already said too much. The last thing any of them need is for her to go into detail about this failed mission. It would only bring down their morale…or, what was left of it.

* * *

Steve didn't stay long after their conversation. They exchanged a few more words before he decided to leave her alone. It was an attempt to give her space. He had already prodded in an area he shouldn't have, the least he could do was give her time on her own.

But, Jacqueline didn't get to sit in her own silence for long. One of the workers came up to her, saying that Tony was wanting to see her down in the armory. Though, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about how he had figured where she was. Were they just walking around the vessel looking for her? She threw a confused look at the man, who merely shrugged his shoulders at her questioning look. Nonetheless, Tony had asked to see her. The last thing she wanted to do was keep him waiting and then, he gets all annoyed by it.

She pushed herself up from the chair and made her way towards the armory. Though, she couldn't help but think about how it was strange that he wanted to meet her there. What the hell could possibly be in the armory he would need to see her for? Did he find something else that S.H.I.E.L.D. was hiding?

Oh god, Jacqueline groaned as she reached the security door. She can't handle finding out about another huge secret. She swiped her card and the screen flashed green, granting her access to the room. It was empty. Except for the few guards who were stationed down here. They only motioned her to keep on going, at least they knew she was going to be here. She continued on, passing by the weapons cache, trying her best not to think about the HYDRA weapons that Steve had found earlier. Just the idea of being on the carrier with them was enough to send a chill down her spine.

Finally, Jacqueline came to a door that was still open, which was unusual, especially when it came to the armory. However, when she peered in, she saw Tony standing around, clearly waiting for her.

"Why did you want to meet me here?" She asked, walking fully into the room.

Tony turned quickly and pointed at her, "we figured out what Loki's planning next, well kind of."

She stopped and blinked a few times. "Wait, what? How the hell do you know?"

"The old man and I figured it out together." Jacqueline took a moment to figure out who Tony was referring too when he said old man, soon she realized that he was talking about Steve. "I'm gonna need to head back to the tower."

"What," she looked over at him, "that's where Loki is going to be?"

"Exactly. He needs it for what he has planned, which is to use the Tesseract to open a stable portal and he's going to use my tower to accomplish this."

"Okay." Well, at least they weren't standing in the dark anymore. She looked around the room they were standing in and shrugged her shoulders, "why are we down here then?"

"Because there's something I need to give you."

Jacqueline watched Tony, her brows furrowed in confusion, as he strode towards a container. After pressing a button on the console, it opened to reveal a stealth suit that was hanging up on a display. Tony turned to look at her, a pleased smirk on his face, but Jacqueline only switched her gaze from the suit to Tony. "What is that?"

His pleased look dropped. "What do you think it is? It's a stealth suit."

"For who?"

"You." Tony finished with an exasperated eye roll. "I've been designing it for the past few months, having to make multiple modifications, which is why I never gave it to you sooner. I know you haven't had the chance to try it out but I'm confident it will do the job."

"Why the hell did you make me a new stealth suit? I like my old suit."

"This one will do a lot more for you." He stepped closer to the suit, admiring his own work. It was simple, compared to what he could have created. "The entire suit is made of a thin, flexible polymer, which means you can still move around when you fight. Fire resistant and incredibly durable." He tapped against the suit's chest area and she could hear his knuckles making a soft impact with something. "The chest, arms, and legs are lined with a plating made with kevlar, making it bulletproof."

Her brows shot up, bulletproof? No wonder why he had to modify it several times. Since he was trying to make her a damn bulletproof suit, he had to make sure that it would actually work. Tony took a moment to eye the stealth suit she was wearing, "I can already tell that thing has taken some damage from the explosion earlier."

Jacqueline gazed down at her suit, seeing the burns all over the material that he had pointed out. _He had a point,_ she begrudgingly admitted.

"Plus, if you're gonna be out there fighting with us, you need a suit that can hold its own."

Jacqueline didn't know what to say. She felt perfectly fine in the suit she's had since joining. It's gone through repairs, new materials, etc. But, she had to admit, the suit that Tony designed looked amazing. It was brand new, which was evident from its clean-cut look. And for a moment, she smiled. Tony had been working on this for months, trying to figure out the best design for her. And while his reasoning was it would do more for her, the honest truth was that he wanted her to have more protection. He wanted her to be safe.

After some gentle coaxing from Tony, Jacqueline agreed to try on the suit. It felt almost cleansing, shredding out of her old suit and slipping into the new one. Like how a snake goes through shedding. She cringed at herself thinking of the comparison, but it was the closest thing she could think of. But, the first thing she noticed while putting on the suit was how smooth it was. Granted, it was weird wearing polymer but it wasn't uncomfortable. Plus, the plating in the chest, arms, and legs were incredibly flexible. It felt like there wasn't anything there. Tony did a damn good job with putting this suit together.

She stepped out from the changing room, her body felt stiff, as she tried to familiarize herself with the new suit. The polymer was different compared to what she was used to wearing. She stood in front of Tony and waited for his approval, to which he hummed and nodded his head.

"How does it feel?"

She stretched her arms out in an effort to loosen the material. "Different. I think the material is starting to conform to my body."

"Good. It's supposed to."

She took a moment to admire the suit one more time. Her hands running over the smooth material. This new suit was quickly growing on her. "So, what's the plan?"

"I'm going to head back to Stark tower, I'm gonna need you to stick with Rogers, he'll fill you in on the plan. We're gonna make sure that Loki doesn't win this."

Tony seemed to have pulled himself together after leaving Fury's briefing, which was good. At least one of them still had this strong mindset.

"At least we're going to do something about it, instead of just sitting around on our asses." She commented, still playing with the sleeves of her suit.

"Are you sure that you're okay to be out there right now?" Tony's question made her freeze, she didn't even look up to acknowledge him. "You had another episode, didn't you?"

She took in a deep breath, her gaze still on the ground, and she slowly nodded and hummed to confirm his question. "It wasn't as bad as the other ones. This time, it was manageable."

"Maybe you shouldn't—"

"I'm going in with you guys." This time, she raised her gaze up to meet his, making sure to express her point. "I'm not gonna sit this one out. If I do, I'll regret it. You guys are gonna need all the help you can get. I'm going in."

If Tony were to say, no, then an argument would break out between them. It was something that the two of them have dealt with since they've known each other. Both were stubborn and independent. If the other told one not to do something, they would do it, regardless of how much risk there might be. Although, Jacqueline seemed to be the one to back out if she knew something was too much. Not Tony.

Tony finally nodded, accepting that her mind had been made up. He may not be able to stop her, but the least he can do is keep an eye on her. And if it becomes necessary, he's going to get her out of there. Even if he has to fly off with her kicking and screaming because if anything ever happened to her on his watch, hell would freeze over.

...

Tony and Jacqueline broke off in separate directions once they left the armory. Tony went to make modifications to his suit, to make it decent enough to fly in. And Jacqueline went to find Steve. He was the one who she would be sticking with. On their way to find Natasha, Steve relayed to her what the plan was. Only after he asked her about the suit.

"Is that new?"

She was caught off guard by his question and took a moment to look back down at her suit. Honestly, Jacqueline was surprised that Steve even noticed the difference. The only people she expected to say something were Natasha, Clint, Alex or even Gabby. They have seen her wearing her old suit, more than Steve. The fact that he could pick it up so easily, impressed her.

"Yeah," she smiled as she glanced down at the suit, it was definitely growing on her. "Tony made it for me. He just gave it to me."

Steve nodded and gave another look at the suit before saying, "it looks nice."

Before she could make herself look like a smiling idiot, Jacqueline quickly changed the subject. She asked Steve to relay her the plan, which he did. The plan was to take one of the quinjets, head down to New York and help Tony with stopping Loki. That was a simple enough plan. However, she had an aching feeling that it wasn't going to be that simple. It's never that simple. Thor had informed them that Loki had the Chitauri army at his disposal, he's going to use the army as an advantage. Why wouldn't he?

Recruiting Natasha was easy enough, Clint also offered to tag along for the ride. He had his own personal grudge towards Loki, and he wanted to make sure that it was settled. Honestly, she couldn't blame him. If Jacqueline had been brainwashed to do all of Loki's bidding, then yeah, she would want to settle the score as well.

After, Jacqueline went to gather the weapons she would be using in the fight. She had folded up her old suit and placed it in her locker before going to find Steve. She clipped on her belt and holsters. During the process, she couldn't help but think about what was to come. They were going to be carrying out this battle in downtown New York. Loki isn't going to give this up without a fight. And if the Chitauri is unleashed, then this whole thing will turn into a chaotic storm.

"Jackie."

She jumped at someone calling her name, and upon turning, she saw Gabby hurrying towards her. A flood of relief came through Jacqueline. She hadn't seen or heard from Gabby before the attack on the helicarrier. "Where have you been?" Jacqueline asked.

"I was down on the lower levels during the attacks. I've been helping with getting people to the medbay. But, I've been looking for you everywhere…" Gabby paused when she saw what Jacqueline was wearing and she eyed the outfit, with a confused expression. "What are you wearing? Is that new?"

"Yeah, Tony made it for me."

Gabby hummed her approval but took notice of Jacqueline placing her guns in their holsters. She was getting ready to go out, but for what? "What are you doing?"

Jacqueline didn't answer. Instead, she focused on making sure that her knives were secured in place. "Jackie." Gabby tried again. "You're going out aren't you? Does Fury know?"

Standing up straight, Jacqueline leaned her head back and exhaled a deep sigh. "No, he doesn't." She finally answered, then she turned to her friend. "You can't tell him. You can't let anyone know. They'll know we're up to something once we leave the helicarrier."

Gabby hesitated, almost like she was going to argue with her. She saw how Jacqueline was carrying herself, the way her voice trembled as she spoke. That only meant one thing. "Jackie, are you sure that you should be going out there?"

"If I don't, I'll never forgive myself. Loki killed Coulson, he made it even more personal." When she finally looked at Gabby, there was a look of doubt. She was worried, Jacqueline didn't blame her. "I promise, I'm okay. At least, I'm okay enough to go out there. I'll be fine."

Gabby cinched her lips to the side but nodded her head regardless. "Be careful."

"I will."

Gabby gave Jacqueline her word that she wouldn't say anything, not even to Alex. She left soon after their discussion, giving Jacqueline a little more time to settle her mind before going in. Then, an idea popped into her head. She was going to call her mother, because if she didn't and something ended up happening to her, at least her mother would have the preemptive knowledge of what happened.

Dialing out the number, Jacqueline put the phone up to her ear, desperately hoping that her mother would pick up. She didn't. Jacqueline got the voicemail and made the decision to leave her a message. "Hey, mom. I'm calling because I need to tell you something. Um, I'm going out for a fight. And you'll definitely be hearing about it very soon. But, I just want you to know that…I'm gonna get out of it. I'm gonna be alright. And when this is all over, I'm gonna come home. So, I know it's no use for me to say this, but try not to worry. I promise I'll come home." She paused briefly, feeling the sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. She felt like she was recording her last words. "I love you, mom. Tell dad I love him too."

After leaving the message, Jacqueline stowed her phone away and quickly made her way to the loading dock. If she had stayed a moment longer, she would have tried calling them again. And, she might have changed her mind about going out. It felt like she was starting to get cold feet, which usually never happens to Jacqueline when it comes to a mission. They needed to get out there and fast.

She met up with Steve, Clint, and Natasha, the four of them sauntered onto one of the quinjets, and one of the workers was checking through the aircraft. The minute he saw them, he tried saying that they weren't supposed to be here, but Steve quickly cut him off.

"Son. Just don't."

Jacqueline tried to assure the man that everything would be fine. He just needed to get off the aircraft, so that they can get down to the city. At first, he was hesitant. But, Jacqueline used a little more forced measure to get him to obey. She didn't want to scare him, he just needed to get off the damn aircraft. But, they didn't have time for this. If she had to be forceful, then she would be.

Clint and Natasha were at the helm of the aircraft, with Clint flying the thing. Steve and Jacqueline strapped themselves in, each trying to anticipate what they would be facing, once they got down there. All she could think about was the possible alien invasion that might occur and all the chaos and destruction that was sure to happen.

How many people were going to get injured? How many of them were going to die? Will they even be able to stop Loki?

 _Wow Jackie, great way to think before going in._ Jacqueline mentally berated herself. She leaned farther into her seat, her eyes casually glancing over at Steve. He seemed pensive like he was in a deep train of thought. Possibly trying to mentally prepare himself for what he was going to face. But, one thought suddenly crossed her mind. She was about to go into a fight with Steve Rogers, Captain America himself. Is this how her grandmother felt during the war? She only saw this man in old propaganda footage and photos from textbooks. She then quietly laughed at the idea, if she ever had kids someday, this would be a decent story to tell them. That she got to fight alongside Captain America.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, what did you all think?! We have finally reached the Battle of New York (well that's next chapter but you know what I mean). I hope you all enjoy this chapter, even though I'm not that much of a fan of it. Also, if any of my readers follow my tumblr, then the mention of Jackie having kids should bring up something (you all know who you are).

And if you all are wondering, the Argentina mission is something that will be addressed, but not until part two (The Winter Soldier) because it kinda ties into everything that goes on. Kinda.

Anyways! A review would be much appreciated! Until next time!

(edited 6/5/18)


	12. Part I: XII

**disclaimer: I do not own Marvel**

* * *

 _I'm gonna fight 'em all_  
 _A seven nation army couldn't hold me back_

 _Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes_

 _..._

"We're approaching the city."

Jacqueline stood and walked up behind Clint and Natasha, her eyes focusing on the clearing image of the city skyline. The closer they got, the heavier her stomach felt. Oh god, she sucked in a breath and braced her hand on the back of Natasha's seat. The sudden wave of nausea came over her. She was nervous. But, what was she nervous about? Jacqueline had fought in many fights and skirmishes. But, nothing like what this was about to be.

Clint maneuvered the aircraft onto the course that would lead them to Stark Tower. And as the building came into sight, all their eyes were drawn towards a bright, beam of light that was shooting directly into the sky. Jacqueline followed the stream until she saw the angulating ring of blue light that surrounded an opening…in the sky. There was an actual opening in the sky. What the hell is going on?

From the opening, she could make out the small figures that were flying out of the opening and her mouth dropped. "This is crazy." She blurted out. She looked over at Steve, who was standing next to her, and she found comfort at seeing the shocked look on his face. At least she wasn't the only one. "I can't believe this is actually happening. An alien invasion. This is only supposed to happen in sci-fi movies."

Steve couldn't say anything. He felt that he should say something, but what? Up until a few weeks ago, he had been frozen in the Arctic for nearly seventy years. He wasn't exactly in the position to start making sense on what was happening in front of them.

"Stark, we're on your three, heading northeast," Natasha spoke into the comms.

 _"What? Did you guys stop for drive-thru? Swing up park, I'll lay them out for you."_

Steve and Jacqueline stepped back, each securing one hand on the secured railings. But, she kept her eyes on the scene in front of them. A swarm of the Chitauri banked around the corner, heading right towards them, this made her tighten her grip. The sound of the turret going off kept Jacqueline grounded, reminding her that this was happening and that she really needed to pull herself together. This wasn't the time for her to try and grasp the fact that an actual alien invasion was in progress. She needed to focus.

Once the swarm had been gunned down, the quinjet pulled up and started back for the tower. In that time, Jacqueline decided to do a quick check through. She made sure that her guns were fully loaded. Extra ammo was in her belt and her knives were secured in their holster. And when she looked up, Steve was doing the same.

"Are you ready for this?" She finally asked.

Steve looked over at her and paused in thought for a moment, before saying, "I kind of have to be."

Steve's answer made Jacqueline purse her lips together. All of this must be blowing his mind. And, for a moment, she felt incredibly guilty again. He had to jump into the game too early. When he agreed there was no, 'fight an alien invasion' that was part of the job description. It was just, help them to find the Tesseract. Now, all of this was happening. She could only imagine what must be going through his mind right now.

An explosion made them both jump and the aircraft started to spin. Shit. Jacqueline quickly grabbed onto the railings, with both hands. This was just like the helicopter back at the research lab. Except for this time, she had nowhere to jump out of. The gravity inside the aircraft shifted, Jacqueline felt her body lift from the ground. When she spared a glance over at Steve, he was in the same position as her. He even got a quick glimpse of her widened eyes. The quinjet was losing altitude and she could feel the shift change in the pit of her stomach.

She hated this. She absolutely hated this. "Shit." Jacqueline gritted her teeth, struggling to keep her grip strong. The spinning became more erratic, her grip of the railing was starting to slip. "Clint!" His name escaped her lips as a panicked cry.

"I know! I got it! Hang on!"

"What do you think we're doing?" She called out, her voice elevated towards the end, hinting at her sudden annoyance at Clint's words. She wasn't actually annoyed with him, she was just trying to make sure she doesn't lose complete control of herself. They were on an aircraft that was hurtling towards the ground. Anyone would be unsettled by it, that's what she told herself at that moment.

"Brace for impact!" Clint called back the warning.

She tried bracing herself as best as she could, but when the quinjet crashed into the ground, Jacqueline lost her hold on the railing. Her body slammed against the wall before falling to the floor. The screeching of metal against concrete flooded her ears, making her cringe at the harsh noise. The quinjet finally came to a stop. Jacqueline pushed herself up as Steve quickly rushed to help her up.

"You okay?" He asked, taking a gentle hold of her arm, helping her up to her feet.

She breathed out a 'yes'. It was only for a few seconds, but she took that time to catch her breath. And to make sure that her weapons were still on her. They were.

"Let's head out."

Natasha let down the ramp and the four of them jogged out of the quinjet. After taking in their surroundings, they started heading right, back towards Stark Tower. Her ears were picking up on everything. People screaming, their feet trampling over broken glass. She could smell the smoke from cars that were on fire. In just a matter of minutes, downtown New York City looked like a war zone. The realization formed a pit in the bottom of her stomach. This was her home and to see it like this was demoralizing.

They were only a few more miles from Stark Tower. But as she glanced up at the sky, what she saw made her skid to a stop. "You guys!" She yelled. Steve, Clint, and Natasha came to a hard stop and followed her gaze.

From the opening in the sky, a large mass flew out. It was covered in armor, but the size of it. Jacqueline's eyes widened as the beast flew over their heads. What the hell is that thing? Unbeknownst to them, it was a Chitauri Leviathan. Thor had forgotten to mention that these monstrosities existed. It would have been nice to know that these things existed, and were at the Chitauri's full disposal. Several Chitauri repelled off from the Leviathan and gripped onto the side of buildings. You've got to be kidding.

The enormous beast barreled down the street, crushing cars, and cutting through buildings. "How the hell are we supposed to take that down?" Jacqueline exasperated, her arm pointing at the massive beast.

"Stark," Steve spoke into the comms. "Are you seeing this?"

 _"Seeing? Yes. Still trying to wrap my mind around it. Is Banner there yet?"_

"Banner?"

 _"Just keep me posted."_

Jacqueline watched as some of the Chitauri crashed through the windows, into the buildings, where there were people, still trapped inside. "Guys," she called after the rest of them. Pointing up at the buildings, she turned to them, "We gotta do something about that—"

A blast whizzed past Jacqueline's head, nearly hitting Steve. She ducked down on instinct and the four of them sought refuge behind a demolished car. Peering up enough to where she was still covered, Jacqueline's scouted out the buildings, hearing screams coming from the open windows. She suddenly turned to Steve, "There are people trapped in that building." Steve took a quick glance at where she was talking about. "They need to get out."

"Okay," he breathed out, clearly thinking of a plan. "Maybe if I can get up there,"

"Go," Jacqueline said as she pulled out her guns, making sure that the ammo clips were loaded. "Natasha, Clint and I can give you cover."

"You sure?"

She merely raised her eyebrows at his question, then gave a small smirk. "Yeah, we got this."

He nodded. With one final breath, Steve dashed out from behind the car and jumped over a brick railing. The sound of Natasha firing off her guns grounded Jacqueline, who cast a quick glance over at the agent. "Still can't believe it."

Natasha leaned her head towards Jacqueline's direction, still firing off rounds at the Chitauri who were on the ground in front of them, firing back at them. "What's that?"

Jacqueline rose up, aimed her guns and squeezed the triggers. Her handguns fired off one after the other, hitting Chitauri in areas that were vulnerable, which were few. "There is a literal alien invasion happening in front of us. Not something that a person can say they've experienced."

"Don't worry, it's gonna sink in soon."

"You really think?" Jacqueline ducked as one of the Chitauri flew over them, they were a little too close for comfort.

"Ah," Natasha paused for a moment, "maybe not." She took back her statement from before.

Jacqueline only managed a chuckle as she and Natasha went back to shooting at the figures that were flying about. The sound of people screaming caught her attention. Jacqueline looked back over her shoulder, seeing that there were people who were trapped in a bus. "Clint," she called over to the man. "Can you get those people out of the bus?"

Clint, who had his arrow aimed in front of him, took a brief glance at where Jacqueline had mentioned and released the arrow. "As long as you two give me cover."

"We've got you covered, don't worry." The ammo in her guns was already out. Jacqueline cursed under her breath as she slid in a new clip and returned the firing. However, it didn't seem like shooting these aliens was doing much for them. She and Natasha were taking out quite a few of them, but it wasn't enough. There were still more dropping from the sky and converging on their location.

Jacqueline whirled around at the sound of something landing behind her. In that split of a second, she recognized that it was a Chitauri and it was about to hit her with its spear. She ducked, hearing the weapon scrape along the car she was using as cover. She delivered a kick to the creature's back, sending the being to its knees. Raising her gun, she aimed the barrel right at an opening of the creature's helmet and fired off two rounds into its face. The body went limp, immediately falling to the ground.

She tried firing off another round, only to find that the gun was out of ammo. As she refilled the clip, she turned, seeing another swarm of Chitauri making their way towards them. She slammed in the clip and cocked the gun. One of the creatures shot a blast at her, and she banked to the side, seeing it fly past her face. In a fluid motion, she started towards the creature, evading each blast that was shot at her. Raising her gun up in an aim, Jacqueline lined up the shot and pulled the trigger, hitting the creature in the neck.

Out of nowhere, she found herself face to face with one of the Chitauri, that had jumped from its place on one of the buildings. It quickly disarmed Jacqueline, her guns skidded across the concrete, well out of her reach. She grabbed hold of the spear in the creature's hand, and soon, they were both fighting over for dominance. It wasn't a surprise; the creature's strength was greater than her own. Jacqueline was pressed up against a car, that's when she came up with a plan. She used her knee to kick at the Chituari's arm, loosening the grip it had on its weapon. In a fluid motion, she pulled a knife from her holster and embedded the blade into the creature's neck.

When the creature cried out, it only prompted Jacqueline to force the blade deeper into its neck. It felt good to wipe out these beings. All she could think about was Coulson. While the Chitauri weren't directly responsible for his death, they were part of the chain reaction that led to the event. And while they weren't the ones who forced that scepter through Coulson's chest, taking these things out, felt like she was getting justice for him.

When the body slumped to the ground, Jacqueline picked up the spear that it had abandoned, and assessed the weapon for a brief second. But not for long. Another Chitauri was charging after her. In response, she aimed the weapon at the creature and pressed down on the trigger. A blast shot out of the weapon, killing the creature instantly. It worked. "Not bad." She quietly said to herself.

The fighting went on. Jacqueline was working with the new scepter that she picked. She wanted to spare what little ammo she had left until it was the only weapon she had left. Natasha followed suit, having obtained a scepter from a Chitauri that she took down. The three of them were doing a decent job, but that feeling of accomplishment was dashed. More Chitauri were converging onto them. Right when they thought they had made a dent, they were disproven.

Suddenly, a good portion of the Chitauri group was taken out by a shield. Jacqueline stepped back and looked over at Steve, who was just finishing a fight with one of the creatures.

"Took you long enough." She commented as he jogged over to them. "Are the people getting out of the buildings?"

Steve nodded, "The police are taking care of it."

A flash of lightning garnered their attention, and Thor landed just a few feet away from them. He looked pale in the face, which Jacqueline noticed, but never verbally said anything.

"What's the story?" Steve asked once he had approached the Asgardian.

"The power surrounding the cube is impenetrable."

"Thor's right. We're gonna have to deal with these guys ourselves." Tony's voice came through the comms.

"Okay, and how are we supposed to do that?" Natasha joined in. "These things keep on coming."

"As a team." That was a rather optimistic answer from Steve.

"I have unfinished business with Loki," Thor informed.

You're not the only one. "Yeah, well get in line," Clint answered, garnering a stare from Thor.

"Save it." Steve cut off any argument that could spur up within the group. "Loki is going to want to keep this fight on us. And that's exactly what we want." Steve turned to the group, ready to brief them on a plan.

Something caught Jacqueline's eye, her gaze moved to look over Steve's shoulder, seeing someone riding a motorbike towards them. After staring at the man intently, Jacqueline recognized the rider as Bruce. "Steve." She motioned behind him and he turned to find Bruce stepping off the motorbike.  
The entire team slowly approached him, he looked a little anxious as he glanced around at the destruction around him. "So," his hands cupped together as he faced them. "This all looks pretty horrible."

"I've seen worse," Natasha spoke up, to which Bruce offered a sympathetic gaze.

"Sorry."

"No," Natasha assured. "We could actually use a little worse."

"Tony," Jacqueline spoke through the comms. "We've got Bruce."

 _"He's there?"_

"Yeah."

 _"Well, then tell him to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you."_

At Tony's words, Jacqueline was perplexed, but a thunderous roar came from down the street. All of them saw a leviathan banking around the corner, with Tony leading it right towards them.

"Oh," Jacqueline breathed out. "Tony, you really shouldn't have."

Bruce eyed the creature, briefly, then turned around and started walking towards it. That was rather disconcerting, and Steve seemed to thank so as he took a step towards his direction. "Dr. Banner," he spoke up. "Now would be a really good time for you to get angry."

Bruce didn't stop his advance. "That's my secret cap," he finally paused and glanced back at Steve and the group. "I'm always angry."

The change was so swift. She didn't have time to comprehend exactly what she just witnessed. Bruce went from human, right into the hulk. She was left gawking as the Hulk's fist came in contact with the beast's head. The back end slowly rose into the air, pieces of its armor broke off. Tony raised his arm in an aim, and fired shots into a weak spot, causing the creature to explode. Steve turned to Jacqueline and called for her to get down. She and Steve both knelt as he covered them with his shield. She couldn't help the shudder that slid down her spine from the explosion.

She's literally had enough explosions to last a lifetime.

The team stood up on their feet once it was all clear, and there was a cacophony of screams that were coming from all around them. The Chitauri were not particularly happy about what had just happened. Her eyes happened to gaze up at the still ever-present hole in the sky and stepped back when she saw more leviathans coming through the portal.

"You guys." Following Jacqueline's gaze, the entire team was now watching more of the gigantic beasts entering the city. "What's the plan?"

Steve took a moment to gather his thoughts to come up with a hasty plan. He turned to the group. "Alright, until we get that portal closed, our main priority is containment." Steve turned to Clint, "Barton, I want you up on that rooftop. Eyes on everything, call out patterns and strays." Steve then turned his attention to Tony. "Stark, you've got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back, or you turn it to ash."

"Want to give me a lift?" Clift asked.

"Right." Tony grabbed hold of Clint's suit and said, "Clench up Legolas."

Jacqueline watched Tony take off with Clint before focusing her attention back on Steve. "Thor, you've gotta try and bottleneck that portal, slow them down. You got the lightning, light the bastards up."

Thor nodded and started to swing his hammer, before shooting up into the sky. Jacqueline only caught a brief sight of him. Steve then focused his attention on Natasha and Jacqueline. "The three of us, we stay here on the ground, take on as much of the fighting as we can. And Hulk?" Hulk spun around to look at Steve, who pointed a finger up at him and said only one word. "Smash."

An all too noticeable smile appeared on Hulk's face. In a quick second, he took off, and jumped onto one of the buildings, throwing Chituari in every direction.

"Well, shit." Jacqueline could only watch him in small amusement. It was rather beneficial to have someone like the Hulk, fighting on their team. He would be able to take out a decent amount of the aliens.

Natasha, Steve, and Jacqueline came closer together and took notice of the multiple Chitauri who were starting to run after them. Her grip on the scepter tightened as the group got closer. And the three of them went to work, taking down every alien they encountered. Jacqueline found that using the scepter made it easier to fight them. Its dual purpose proved to be a real blessing when it came to fighting these creatures.

Each time they made a dent, more Chitauri would appear, seemingly out of nowhere. And each time this happened, Jacqueline only had enough time to groan in her growing annoyance. But, she kept at it. Using the scepter for most of her fighting, saving what little ammo she had left. During their fighting, Steve had ventured off a little away from Natasha and Jacqueline. Taking on his own group of Chitauri, while Natasha and Jacqueline worked together on their area.

One by one, more bodies fell to the ground, at the same time, more would appear, coming at them with everything they had. Jacqueline began to think when the exhaustion would start to kick in. It wasn't long after that thought came across, did she begin to notice it. The muscles in her arms and legs began to ache.

One of the Chitauri snuck up on her and cornered Jacqueline by a car. As she went to strike it with the scepter, the creature knocked it out of her hands and tackled her onto the car. The ensuing struggle resulted in her getting hit across the face, pretty hard. In a quick motioned, she pulled her knife out and stabbed the creature's neck several times, until it finally crumbled to the floor. Slowly, she eased herself back onto her feet, the aching in her muscles now had doubled in their intensity, and an overall wave of exhaustion washed over her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Natasha rushing over to her, she noticed a decently sized trail of blood on her forehead, and she cringed. "You look pretty beat up."

She was heaving as she glanced over at the agent, giving her a look. "So, do you."

It was after Natasha's statement did Jacqueline finally taste the strong, iron flavor in her mouth. She wiped at her mouth and saw the blood smeared on her hand as she pulled away. But, she didn't think much of it. She's had worse. Steve was quickly by their side, both Natasha and Jacqueline turned to him, completely exhausted at this point.

"None of this is going to make a different," Natasha spoke up. "We need to get that portal closed, or else there will be no progress."

"Well, if you're wanting to get up, you're gonna need a ride."

Natasha looked up, spotting the Chitauri flying above them. Dropping her scepter, Jacqueline could see the determination in the agent's eyes. "I got one. I'm gonna need a lift though."

Jacqueline stepped back, her eyes remaining on Natasha and Steve, who held his shield in position. "Are you sure about this?" He asked Natasha.

"Yeah." She replied, nonchalantly. "It'll be fun."

"Well good luck."

Natasha cast a quick smirk in Jacqueline's direction before running towards Steve. Using a car as leverage, she jumped onto Steve's shield and he launched her into the air. Natasha was out of their sights, but all Jacqueline and Steve could do was to stand in place.

Steve finally glanced over at Jacqueline, seeing that she was still bleeding from her mouth. "You got hit pretty good there."

Her tongue picked up some of the blood and cringed at the taste. "It's not the worst injury I've ever gotten."

"There's another swarm coming for us. Hope you're ready."

She turned and saw what Steve was talking about. Inhaling a deep breath, Jacqueline pulled together every ounce of strength she had left, then she and Steve went back to work. However, Jacqueline knew that she was faltering. Her entire body began to ache, even more, the muscles in her arm and legs were fatigued, cramping in certain areas. She had fought before, of course, but nothing to this extent. There was too many of them. And they just kept coming out of nowhere. It didn't seem like there was an end in sight for them. The only hope they had, was that Natasha would find a way to destroy, or close, the portal.

"Jackie…Captain." Clint's voice came through the comms. Jacqueline slashed at a Chitauri's neck, before answering him.

"What is it?"

"The back on 42nd past Madison…they've cornered civilians in there. If either of you want to take care of that."

Jacqueline glanced over at Steve, who was finishing up one of the creatures. Then, the two of them locked eyes for only a moment, before taking off at the same time. They charged down the rubble-filled street, doing their best to dodge the aliens that were in their path. Jacqueline, sparingly, used her gun, whenever she felt it was necessary. Steve took it upon himself to clear the path for them, knocking out aliens with his shield.

When they reached the building, Steve quickly pulled together a plan. "I'll take them out. You work at getting the people out of the building."

"Got it."

Jacqueline hurried to the door and busted through, startling the people who were all huddled inside. Hearing Steve fighting the Chitauri on the balcony above, she quickly ushered people out of the building. "Come on!"

She helped people out of the building, where officers were working to escort them to safety. When a good portion of the people was out, Jacqueline ventured in further. Her eyes were focused on the second story balcony, where she could hear Steve engaging in a fight with the creatures. She needed to find a way to get up on the balcony. She scouted out the area around her, seeing that there was a way for her to climb up onto the balcony, and she took it. Jacqueline ran over and climbed up and over the balcony railing.

The minute she turned around, a force struck her across the face, causing her vision to blur. It was a Chitauri who had clubbed her with the scepter. In an attempt to prevent getting hit, Jacqueline reached out and grabbed hold of the scepter. She kicked the creature in the side, pulled the scepter from its grip, and struck the creature in the head. She watched the being fall to the floor but was startled when she heard Steve shout.

"Jacks! Get out of the way!"

She looked over at him, seeing that he was crouched behind his shield, and that's when she noticed it. The grenade sitting between them. She dropped the scepter and went to jump over the railing. Then, an explosion ripped through the building. The force pushed Jacqueline over, her body landing on the ground with a sickening thud.

Her ears were ringing, and her head was aching with a piercing throb. She slowly rose onto her hands and knees, trying to reorient herself after the explosion. Fuck, how many more explosions was she supposed to be in? She remained on her hands and knees, not wanting to move anywhere. Even the slightest movement caused her more pain. That's when she felt it. A warm trail running down her forehead. She reached up a shaky hand, her fingers were instantly coated with blood. "God," she hissed. She must have either got hit by a piece of debris, or her head hit the ground harder than she thought, which wasn't good. For all she knew, she could have a serious concussion at this point.

 _"Jacks?"_

Steve's voice came through her comms, and she barely had time to register that he had used a new nickname before her head began to swoon from another wave of throbbing. "I-I'm okay." She stuttered, trying her best to ride out the horrendous headache she was suffering through. She could hear Steve talking to her through the comms, but his words blended together, making it impossible for her to distinguish what he was saying.

Something wasn't right. "I'm fine…fine…I'm fine." She was too dizzy, she could barely keep her eyes open.

The warm liquid continued to flow down her face, now trailing over her mouth, and down her chin. "Shit," she whispered. She needed to get out of this building. She was in trouble, but if she could just get out of here and to Steve, or someone, she would be fine. Trying to conjure enough strength, Jacqueline pressed down on her hands, trying to get herself back up on her feet. But, her arms crumbled from beneath her and she fell back down.

The drowsiness was getting worse. The ability to keep her eyes even remotely open was becoming too much of a task. Jacqueline could feel her anxiety rising. She needed to get out. But, her body was screaming for her to rest, to not move. No, I need to do something.

The only thing she could do was talk, and so she did. "Steve," she spoke through the comms. His voice came through, but she couldn't decipher what he had said. It was probably him asking her if she was okay. "I-I need help…Steve."

Before she could anything else, her vision all blurred together and she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello...yeah it's been a while since my last update. I do apologize. I was experiencing one of the worst writer's block ever. And I'm not proud of this chapter, at all. I was originally going to keep the entire battle in one chapter. But, considering how long it's been since my last update, I felt like you guys deserved this update, plus the place where I stopped seemed reasonable to me. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Again sorry for the wait!

Also, I had to include those lyrics from Seven Nation Army because the entire time I was finishing this chapter, I was listening to the Glitch Mob remix of it and it just fit with the whole theme of the chapter.

Anyway! A review would be much appreciated! Until next time!

(edited 4/30/18)


	13. Part I: XIII

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel**

* * *

When she finally came to, the first thing Jacqueline heard was people talking. She moved her arms and legs, taking notice that she was lying down on something that was soft. Leaning on her elbows for support, she pried open her eyes and looked around her. She was lying in an ambulance. What the hell? How did she get into an ambulance?

One of the paramedics stepped back into the vehicle, "Good, you're awake."

She squinted, her head, which no longer was throbbing, felt like it weighed a ton. "What am I doing here?"

"You were brought here." The medic explained as he slipped on a pair of latex gloves.

Jacqueline shook her head, "Brought here…by who?" The action caused her to feel a slight sting on her forehead. On instinct, she reached up, her fingers gently grazing over the stitching.

"You were bleeding pretty bad when you were brought here," he explained, after seeing her notice the stitching.

The doors to the ambulance were still open, and gazing out, she could see that they were still in downtown New York City. This ambulance must be stationed here to help the people who were hiding out in the subway. But, she could also hear people screaming, and the sound of explosions off into the distance. The battle was still going on…and she needed to get back to the others.

Jacqueline maneuvered herself off the cot but stopped at the sudden jolt of pain coming from her ribs. "You're not going anywhere."

She really had no time to go through this right now. "I appreciate your help, and for stitching me up, but I need to get back out there." Jacqueline pushed past the medic and hopped out of the ambulance, her hand making sure that her knife and gun were still in their holsters, but the medic wasn't going to just let her go.

Stepping out of the vehicle, he gently grabbed Jacqueline by the shoulder, forcing her to stop. "You got a really nasty cut on your head. You need to allow yourself to rest."

"I don't have time to rest." Jacqueline cut him off. "I'll be fine, for the time being. I'm not the one you need to be helping. There are more civilians that need to be attended to, worry about them."

Jacqueline walked off, not letting the medic get another word in. For a moment, she felt bad. The guy was just trying to do his job, and now that she was moving, her head was starting to feel sore. Maybe she should have stayed back to rest. No. She needed to get back to the others. At first, she tried jogging, but that made her dizzy. So, she settled for fast walking.

She had no idea how far she was from the others. The building where she passed out in, was only a couple blocks down from where she and Steve staked out their ground. The ambulance couldn't have been that far from where she last was. Jacqueline tried to I.D. the building she had been in, but since she was so disoriented, there was no way for her to make a positive match. She let out a low groan, trying to keep herself focused and leveled. Breathing was painful. With every inhale and exhale, the soreness in her ribs felt like it was getting worse. Either she had broken ribs, or they were bruised.

Resting her arm against her ribs, she tried gaining contact with the others through the comms. "Can anyone hear me?"

"Jacks, what are you doing?" Steve's voice was the first one she heard.

Gazing up, she had to squint her eyes to clear through the haze in her vision. "I'm heading back towards you." Even though it would make her dizzy, Jacqueline picked up her pace and began to jog.

"Jacks you were unconscious when I found you."

So, Steve was the one who brought her to the ambulance. "You don't need to remind me." She stumbled forward, catching herself by bracing her hands against a car. Her headache was slowly starting to come back. There's no doubt, she has a concussion. Now she couldn't stop thinking that she shouldn't have left the ambulance. But it was too late now. And, she wasn't going to let them finish this without her. She just needed to tough through it.

Sucking in a breath, she allowed herself a moment to collect herself, then continued. She pulled out her gun to check how much ammo she still had. There was about half a clip left. Not the best, but she'll manage. Luckily, she had been clear of any Chitauri, which means that she will be able to conserve what little ammo she had left. But, the thought poked at her mind, where the hell was all the Chitauri? Perhaps, Steve and Thor were taking on the bulk of them, which was good. That meant she wouldn't have to worry about having to guess her aim.

Turning a corner, she looked ahead and could see, off in the distance, Thor and Steve fighting off Chitauri. Just a little bit more to go. "Come on," she quietly encouraged herself. "Keep going."

It was difficult. But, Jacqueline made it halfway up the street. That's when Natasha's voice came through the comms. "I can close the portal. Does anyone copy?"

"Do it!" Steve answered, frantically.

But, Tony's voice came right after. _"No, wait."_

"Stark these things are still coming."

 _"I've got a missile heading our way."_

"A missile?" Jacqueline asked, clambering up the steps to where Steve and Thor were. When Steve noticed her, he quickly dashed over to, taking a gentle hold of her arm, doing a quick check through to see if she was alright. She gave him a weak thumbs-up, even though she felt like passing out at the moment. "Who the hell authorized a missile launch?"

 _"Not the important thing, I've got it…and I know just where to put it."_

She didn't like the sound of that. "Tony, what are you talking about?" On cue, Tony flew over the group, and her gaze snapped up, seeing that he was flying towards the portal. "Tony, what are you doing?" She called out, her voice sounded panicked, which she was. And Tony was able to pick up on it.

 _"Now is not the time to freak out, Jaq."_

She slowly shook her head, keeping her eyes on his retreating figure. Steve spared a glance at her, seeing how wide her eyes were, the fear pouring out of them. "Stark," he spoke into the comms. "You know that's going to be a one-way trip."

Steve's words nerved her to no end, and when Tony didn't reply, that's when she began to panic. "Tony, don't." There had to be another way. The possibility of Tony making it back out before the portal closed was slim. Not to mention he would be trying to outrun an explosion. She didn't want to take that chance. "Tony?"

 _"Jaq,"_

He managed to get her name through the comms, but the connection was starting to descend into static. "Tony?" She tried again, her voice softer this time. "Can you hear me?" Through the growing static, she could barely make out Tony's voice. He was obviously talking to her, but there was no way for her to decipher what was being said. This can't be happening. She watched the portal closely, anxiously expecting Tony to fly out, but he never did.

The connection with Tony went out, all she received was a low hum of static. "Tony." His name was nothing more than a whisper when it fell past her lips. A strong orange glow billowed inside of the portal. The missile blew something up. All the remaining Chitauri dropped to the ground. But, Jacqueline paid no mind to that. She was only concerned about one thing.

"Come on, Tony." She whispered, her eyes, which had now glazed over, didn't falter in their gaze.

Another beat passed, still no sign of Tony. Steve sighed, allowing himself to glance at Jacqueline one more time. She remained still, eyes focused on her. A small glimmer of hope remained. Hope that Tony would fly out of that opening and everything would be fine. But, he never did. Steve had to call it. "Close it."

She finally broke her gaze and turned to Steve, eyes widening further. "What?! No!"

It was too late. The portal slowly started to close, causing Jacqueline to look back up. There was still a chance. There had to be. Her teethed bit down on her lip, and her hands rolled into fists. Come on, Tony. When the portal finally closed, for a split second, her heart sank. But, she noticed a figure and she felt her lips tug into a smile. "He made it."

Thor and Steve followed her gaze up, seeing that Tony had indeed made it out. "Son of a gun." Steve quipped.

But, their moment of relief didn't last long. Tony wasn't flying…he was falling. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. "He's not slowing down." Thor took his hammer and began to spin it, ready to fly up and retrieve him.

A hearty roar pierced the silence. The Hulk grabbed Tony from the air and used a building as a safe way of getting to the ground. When he landed a few feet away from them, Thor and Steve ran over to them, but Jacqueline remained still. It felt like her feet were glued to the concrete.

She silently watched Steve examine Tony by placing his ear against his chest. And when he leaned back in defeat, she finally made her way over to them. Standing over Tony, she stared down at his still form, eyes moving over every inch of him. No, there was no way.

Lowering herself onto her knees, she braced a hand on the chest of his armor. The throbbing in her head was nearly unbearable. Tony wasn't gone. There was no way. She gave him a gentle shake, "Tony." She cringed as she looked at him, trying to not let the pain get to her. "Tony, wake up." She tried again, giving him another shake, her eyes starting to brim with tears. But she wasn't going to let them fall. No. There is no way you're going to go out that easily.

It wasn't going to be good. But, she had an idea. She conjured up everything she had and belted out, "TONY!" The scream startled everyone, but most importantly, Tony woke up. His eyes opened wide as he sucked in a breath, looking wildly around him.

"What the hell was that?!" He yelled, out of breath.

Jacqueline, who knew that yelling with her head injury wasn't the best idea, had a hand pressed against the stitching. Now her head throbbing was beyond tolerable. "That was me, you idiot!" She gave him a shove, to which he groaned. "That was really stupid, flying that missile up there."

Tony did a few inhales, and exhales, before answering. "Well, did it work?"

Steve slowly nodded. "We won."

"Alright." Tony approved. "Hey, good work you guys. Let's celebrate with some shawarmas. There's a tent about ten blocks from here. Never had it. But I wanna try it."

The only thing she could do was give him the side-eye. "You just narrowly survived an explosion in space, and now all you can think of is food."

"I think we've earned it."

"We're not finished yet," Thor said, causing Jacqueline to groan. Of course. There was still Loki that they had to deal with. And she had to deal with this fucking headache.

"Okay. But, shawarma afterward."

* * *

Capturing Loki was easy enough. When the team arrived at the top level of Tony's place, he was there, looking battered and bruised. Jacqueline was curious. What the hell happened to him? But, judging by the Hulk's smirk, she surmised that he had something to do with it. Good riddance. She felt it wasn't nearly enough what Loki deserved.

As the team kept Loki under their unwavering gaze, making sure he didn't try to escape, Jacqueline contacted the Helicarrier, telling them that they had Loki in their possession. Fury was going to send out a plane, to pick up Loki and bring him back to the Helicarrier. As the team waited, Jacqueline felt like her head was going to split open. During their wait, the throbbing had turned into slow, pulsating beats, and her body was in so much pain.

Natasha checked up on her, but Jacqueline could barely talk. The only thing she managed to get out was that her head and ribs were killing her. This prompted the redhead to stay close to her. "When that plane comes, you're going on the Helicarrier."

At first, Jacqueline didn't argue with her. But, when the plane docked next to Tony's patio, she felt the urge to fight against Natasha's words. A team dashed out of the plane, and Alex was among one of them. The minute he saw Jacqueline, he shouted out orders for the others to take Loki on board, then he walked towards her.

"Are you okay?" He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine." She said.

But, Natasha was quick to talk down her statement. "She's not fine." She pointed at the stitching on her forehead. "Steve said that she was bleeding from her head when he found her. She was unconscious. So now she's got a headache, and possibly some bruised ribs."

Alex's eyes widened as he did a quick look over Jacqueline. "You think she might have a concussion?" He asked, going back on the fact that her head was killing her.

Natasha pursed her lips in response. Jacqueline slowly moved her gaze between the agents and rolled her eyes. "I'm right here," Jacqueline stated. "I'm fine. I don't need to—," Her legs went weak, but Natasha and Alex both caught her.

"Yeah, you're not fine." Alex pulled her closer and glanced back at Natasha. "I'll take her to the med bay."

Nodding, Natasha made sure that Alex had a good hold on Jacqueline, before stepping back. "No, I don't want to go." Despite her pleas, Alex began to escort Jacqueline onto the plane. She couldn't exactly fight against him in her condition. She just had to reason with him. "They're all going to get shawarmas." She paused to look at him. "I want a shawarma."

He nodded, then gently coaxed her onto the plane. "You need to get checked out. That's more important than food."

More important than food. She had just spent most of the day fighting a damn alien race. She deserved to sit down and eat something. She's in pain, exhausted, and has undoubtedly burned a ton of calories. Loading back up on carbs sounded like heaven. But, when Alex gently sat her down in one of the seats, she didn't resist. There was no point. One, she was too weak, and two, there was no way Alex was going to budge, not after what Natasha had told him.

As the team was getting ready to take off, Jacqueline spared a glance back at Steve and the others. They were all battered, bloody, and bruised. Tony still seemed to be in a little bit of a daze from flying a freaking missile into space. But, he seemed fine, which only made her feel relieved. Thor entered the aircraft and took his place next to Loki. He wanted to make sure that he would be locked up tight, with no way of getting out. She couldn't blame him. The last thing any of them wanted was for Loki to escape, again. Her eyes slowly moved onto the image of Loki sitting across from her, hands cuffed and resting in his lap, made her blood run cold. Staring at him, all she could think of was Coulson, bleeding to death…because of him. That anger, the need to avenge him, all of that clawed its way back to the surface. All she wanted to do was lay one good punch across Loki's face. Correction, she wanted to do more than that. But, considering her physical state, punching him would be good enough for her. Also, he was surrounded by guards, and Thor, who would evidently stop her from attempting to harm Loki. He's already been harmed enough…well not in her mind, at least.

The entire flight back to the Helicarrier, Jacqueline could only stare daggers at Loki. At first, he didn't notice her glaring, but when he did, the only thing she received was a faint smirk. That nearly set her off. Alex, who had been sitting next to her the whole time, grabbed hold of her hand. Silently telling her to let it go, that it wasn't worth it.

In an attempt to quench her hatred for Loki, Jacqueline forced her eyes away from him and allowed her body to relax. It was in that moment she could feel how exhausted she felt. Before, it was just aches and pains, and a splitting headache. Now, she was in pain and tired. In an unguarded moment, she rested her head against Alex's shoulder and closed her eyes. "I'm so tired." She murmured in her sleepy state.

"I know," he spared a quick glance down at her. "But don't fall asleep yet. You need to get examined first, then you can rest."

Jacqueline hummed in response, keeping her eyes closed. "Jackie," Alex said and she raised her brows in response. "Don't fall asleep."

"I'm not." She weakly answered, but she was. She could feel herself falling into the blissful abyss that was sleep. To prevent this, Alex kept talking to her, making mundane conversation that would keep her awake and active. A few times, he even had to shake her awake, much to her annoyance.

When the plane touched down on the Helicarrier, Loki was carted off, with Thor close behind. Alex went to work at guiding Jacqueline to the med bay. She insisted on walking there, so Alex allowed her to attempt to walk on her own. But, within a few seconds, it was clear that she needed help. He secured one of her arms around his neck, and his one arm held her by the waist.

"My ribs hurt." She quietly complained.

"We're almost there," Alex assured her, taking care to make sure his hand wasn't applying any pressure to her ribs.

When they arrived at the med bay, they were greeted by one of the nurses. Through her blurred vision, Jacqueline recognized the woman. It was Emily, the one who gave her an ice pack for her bruised shoulder. Normally she would have shied away from embarrassment, since the last time she saw her was to get an ice pack for her bruised shoulder. Not the most serious injury. However, in Jacqueline's defense, this time, it was a lot more serious than a bruised shoulder.

She approached them, calm and collected, but her eyes were laced with concern. "What happened to you?" Emily asked as she guided Alex and Jacqueline over to one of the empty beds.

Alex gently sat Jacqueline down on the mattress, placing a hand on her back to prevent her from lying down. "I don't know the specifics. But, I was told that she was in an explosion."

Emily's eyes widened, her attention focused on Jacqueline. "Can you tell me exactly what happened?"

"Exactly what he said." Jacqueline gestured at Alex. "I was inside on a balcony. There was a grenade. I tried jumping off, but it was too late." She swayed, prompting Alex to get a better hold on her. "I landed pretty hard on the ground. I hit my head."

"Yeah, I can tell by the stitching." Emily pulled on rubber gloves and gently assessed the stitching on her forehead. Luckily, the stitching hasn't split open and it looks to be healing just fine. Need to keep an eye out for an infection. "Have you been having any head pains?" Jacqueline slowly nodded. That could be a sign of a concussion. "Any other places you're hurting?"

The agent pressed a hand against her ribs. "My ribs are pretty sore. It hurts to breathe."

"Okay, on a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain?"

Jacqueline's mouth parted slightly, as she tried taking in small breaths. Stopping when the expansion of her lungs, caused a very uncomfortable sting. "Maybe a four, or a five." The nurse pursed her lips together. Possible breaks, or fractures in the ribs. Emily finished the assessment of the stitching, and then looked at Alex. "Has she been experiencing any symptoms other than soreness in the head and ribs?"

He scratched his head, momentarily. "She was really tired on the fly up here. I made sure to keep her awake the whole duration. She was unconscious for a while, but I don't know for how long."

"Okay," she directed her attention back to her patient. "I'm gonna need you to change out of your stealth suit so that I can examine you." Emily turned to Alex. "If you could wait out there, I'll let you know when I'm finished."

Alex nodded, then leaned closer to Jacqueline. "Hang in there, okay? I'll be right outside."

Jacqueline silently nodded.

When Alex was out of the med bay, Emily pulled around a privacy curtain. "Do you need help out of your suit?"

Jacqueline thought about it for a moment. The throbbing in her head was still present, and the slightest move seemed to irritate her ribs. She wasn't going to be able to do that all by herself. "I-I think so."

The two of them got to work. Jacqueline unclipped her belt and unhooked her holsters. Emily took the items and placed them down on a small table. When Jacqueline picked up her weapons, Emily, very gingerly, placed them down on the table as well. Then they moved onto the suit. Jacqueline pulled down the zipper, and carefully tried to pull her arms out of the sleeves. But, she ended up pausing several times due to the soreness. Emily stepped in, taking over with pull the fabric off her arms, as gingerly as possible. Jacqueline still could feel some discomfort, but Emily did a better job at it than she did. Then, Emily gently removed a tank top from Jacqueline's body, which called for the agent to raise her arms up. A little painful, but she managed. At the end of it, Jacqueline was exposed all the way down to her waist, where the suit had bunched up. Emily felt that was enough for her to start the examination.

"This might sting a little bit, but you need to bear with me," Emily warned, before starting the examination. As the examination started, Jacqueline remained still, obeying anything Emily asked of her. Raise your arm. Jacqueline did just that. Breathe in. And out. She obliged, even though it was uncomfortable to do so. She just wanted the examination to be over with, that way, she can fall asleep. The discomfort wasn't too bad, only when Emily applied pressure to her ribs, did Jacqueline react.

Emily breathed out an apology. It was all part of the examination.

Within time, it was over. Emily whispered an 'okay', prompting Jacqueline to relax, and went to write something down on a chart. After, she walked over to a small cabinet, and pulled out a gown, placing it down next to Jacqueline. "You can change into that." She quickly scribbled on the chart. "Well, I'll start off with the good news. You don't have any broken, or fractured ribs, which is good. They're just really bruised up."

Jacqueline nodded in relief, at least they weren't broken. That would mean more time would be spent healing. "What about my head?"

Emily sighed, "That may need a more in-depth examination. The headaches and exhaustion could be attributed to a concussion. But, we'll run some scans to be sure. Until then, you need to change into this, and get some rest."

Rest. That's exactly what she needed. With the help from Emily, Jacqueline removed the rest of her clothing. On any other given situation, she would have felt vulnerable to be standing half naked in front of a stranger. But, Emily was a nurse. No doubt she's seen this plenty of times with patients. Not to mention, Jacqueline was wiped out. She didn't care what Emily saw. After sliding into the gown, she climbed into the bed. Emily helped to settled her in, making sure she was comfortable. Jacqueline really liked this Emily. Of course, she was a nurse, it was her job to take care of people and to treat them nicely. Still, it was nice to have someone take care of her like that.

Emily hooked Jacqueline up to an IV, all the while Jacqueline couldn't stop mentioning the pain in her head and from her ribs. "I'll give you something for the pain." True to her word, Emily pulled out a syringe, filled it with some kind of liquid, and injected it into her IV. "It'll help you sleep too."

She felt the instant relief. The pain all over her body melted away. And just like that, Jacqueline closed her eyes and slipped into sleep.

...

She felt her body jolt as she woke up.

The first thing her senses caught was the faint beeping from her side. It was the heart monitor she had been hooked up to. As she began to move her limbs, a calm voice broke through the silence. "Hey, take it easy." It was followed by a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She recognized that voice. Jacqueline squinted her eyes open, and as her vision began to clear, she saw the image of Gabby peering down at her. "Gab,"

"Welcome back," she quietly commented. "Alex told me what happened."

Jacqueline fully opened her eyes, perching an eyebrow at the look she was receiving from Gabby. "What's with the look?"

"You came in with stitching on your forehead." Gabby pointed out, and Jacqueline merely shrugged at her statement. "That means a medic was looking after you, and you didn't let yourself get any rest."

Jacqueline sighed, "It's no big deal."

"No big deal?" Gabby questioned. "They ran scans on you, and you have a minor concussion, not to mention bruised ribs."

Oh great. The last thing that Jacqueline wanted to hear was a lecture about being careful, and knowing when to let herself rest. "I couldn't let them finish the fight without me."

Gabby shook her head and tapped her foot against the linoleum floor. She loved Jacqueline, but couldn't always fathom how the young woman could be so careless with her own well-being sometimes. "You're such a dumbass."

"You forgot stubborn," Jacqueline added. She turned her head to the side, fulling looking at her best friend. "Would I really be me if I weren't a stubborn dumbass?"

The question diffused Gabby's concern. The young woman's features softened and she breathed out a laugh. "You're right, I'm just glad that you're okay." She pulled a chair closer to Jacqueline's bed and took a seat.

"How long have I been out?"

"Just a couple of hours," Gabby replied. "Thor came in here, wanted to see how you were before he left to meet the others." At this statement, Jacqueline groaned, to which Gabby raised a brow at her reaction. "What is it?"

"They went to go get shawarmas!" She exclaimed. "I want a shawarma."

"Okay," Gabby raised her hands up in a calming gesture. "Just relax. I'm pretty sure that getting checked out was more important."

Jacqueline shook her head, making sure it wasn't too much to aggravate her minor concussion. "That's what Alex said, and you're both wrong." She raised a hand to her forehead. "God, I just fought against an alien invasion, I deserve to scarf down a lot of food. Starting with the shawarma."

Even though Jacqueline was really upset about missing the shawarma feast, Gabby couldn't help the laugh that was caught in her throat. Her friend was acting like she had missed out on an opportunity of a lifetime. "Jackie, it's okay."

"No, you don't understand, Gabby." Jackie pointed at her. "Shawarmas are everything."

"Jackie," she narrowed her eyes at her friend. "You've never had a shawarma before."

Jacqueline, for a moment, squinted her eyes and settled against her pillow. "So?"

Gabby snickered. She couldn't help herself. "I think the painkillers are making you feel a little loopy right now."

"I'm not loopy," Jacqueline responded, pouting her lips. God, she really wanted that fucking shawarma. And that thought was justified when her stomach rumbled. Gabby thought that Jacqueline was behaving this way because of the painkillers. But, Jacqueline was fairly convinced that it was because she was starving. But, she did manage to notice that she couldn't feel the ache from her bruised ribs, or even her splitting headache, which was good. It would have been a real pain to wake up to all of that.

Then, a sudden thought came out of nowhere. Jacqueline remembered the voicemail she had left her mother before going into battle. No doubt, her mother had seen the destruction in downtown, and the fact Jacqueline had yet to call her back, god, she must be worried sick. She leaned up and looked over at Gabby. "I need to call my mom."

But her friend was already one step ahead of her. "Don't worry about it," Gabby answered, with a relaxed wave of the hand. "I already called her. Told her that you were pretty beat up, but that you'll be fine."

"How did she take that?"

"Rather well." She nodded at the recollection of the brief conversation. "I could tell she was still worried, but she was calm."

Well, at least Jacqueline could rest a little longer before having to call her. Kathleen would have much rather hear her daughter's voice. But, if Gabby said that she was going to be fine, then Kathleen trusted that statement.

The sound of impending footsteps alerted both of them. The privacy curtain was pulled back, and Jacqueline visibly relaxed when she saw that it was Alex. "Hey." He greeted her, before closing the curtain behind him. "How are you feeling?"

Jacqueline gave a weak shrug. "Don't know if I feel any better. But, I don't feel any pain."

"That's good." He went and stood next to Gabby. "I'm guessing she already told you everything."

"Yep." Jacqueline said, making sure to enunciate the 'p'. "I have a minor concussion and bruised ribs."

"Yeah, and they want you to stay here for a couple more days, just to make sure that nothing else goes wrong."

At this, Jacqueline groaned. No, she didn't want to spend even one more day here, let alone a few more days. "I just want to go home." Jacqueline hated hospitals. The way they smelled, having all kinds of IV's stuck in her arm. She hated everything about it. Granted, they did save so many lives on a daily basis, which is good. She would never downplay that. But still. That didn't change how she personally felt about them.

"I know, but Gabby and I will be here with you."

"Ugh," she groaned, earning shocked looks from her friends, but they didn't take it to heart. "I'm starving."

Jacqueline could practically hear the eye roll from Gabby. "I'm pretty sure the nurse will bring you something to eat soon."

She cringed at the thought. "That last thing I want right now is hospital food or food from the cafeteria." Her voice finished with a strong disdain tone.

"And I'm here to make sure you won't suffer through that." A voice appeared out of nowhere, startling the three of them. On cue, the privacy curtain was pulled open and Tony stepped through, offering a quick smile to the small audience before him. He was already out of his suit, obviously. But, Jacqueline took notice of the small cut down by his right eye, and he looked tired. She couldn't blame him. But, Jacqueline didn't seem too ecstatic at first. She could only furrow her brows at him. "What are you doing here?"

Tony paused, blinked, and gave her a look. "I'm here to make sure that you're okay."

"Mhm." Jacqueline cinched her lips to the side.

"And I also came to bring you this." Tony raised up a plastic bag that contained a takeout box. Her eyes widened, and he responded with a smirk.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Tony gave a single nod. "Shawarma."

Her face erupted with pure joy; eyes widened, and lips curled into a huge smile. "You are literally the best person in the world right now." She said, anxiously leaning forward.

"Oh," Tony lowered his arm, casting an inquisitive eye at her. "Do I get to retain that title?"

She nodded. "For now, until you do something to annoy me."

Tony took a moment to consider her words, then shrugged. "I'll take it."

As Tony went to hand the bag over to Jacqueline, Gabby stood up, blocking the transaction. This earned her a glare from her friend. "I don't know if that's a good idea. Maybe eating this, right now, is not the best thing for you."

"Oh, don't worry about that." Tony brushed off Gabby's concern. "I already spoke with a nurse about it."

Gabby didn't falter in her stance. "Did you really? Or, are you just saying that?"

"It doesn't even matter." Jacqueline reached out for the bag. "I'm gonna eat this no matter what." Gabby reluctantly helped Jacqueline sit up, the latter setting the container in her lap. "So, where are the others?" She asked, as she pulled a piece of the shawarma and popped it into her mouth, relishing in finally being able to try one.

"Getting checked out," Tony took a seat at the edge of her bed. "Thor is talking with Fury about bringing Loki back to their home planet."

Her brows shot up as she slowly chewed at the contents in her mouth. "You really think Fury will let him do that? You know that everyone is going to pull the 'he needs to face his punishment here' card."

"Don't know. Maybe after everything that has gone down, Fury is more susceptible to compromise."

The whole situation with Loki wasn't something she had a solid opinion on. Should he be kept here, or taken back to his home planet? If Jacqueline had to choose, she would want him far away from Earth. She doesn't ever want to see him again if she was being honest with herself. "How's it looking downtown?" She asked, deciding to switch the subject.

"Still the same as when we left. Everyone who needs help is getting it. Although, they're already talking on the news about how we should be held responsible for what's happened."

Great. "Not a surprise there. You save a city, yet they still manage to twist it around." Everyone wants answers. Why did an alien race invade our planet? They didn't have the answers; therefore, everyone was confused. Even though they saved many lives, there was no doubt, an untold number of people didn't make it home tonight. And that thought alone almost made Jacqueline sick to her stomach. These people are going to need someone to put the blame on, why wouldn't it be them? It made perfect sense.

"Don't let all of that shit get to you guys," Gabby spoke up. "You guys saved the city. I'm positive that there are more people who would thank you, rather than blame you."

The statement made Jacqueline go quiet, even Tony didn't say anything after, which was unlike him. She simply ate her meal in silence, while each of them carried on brief conversations with each other. But, Gabby's words continuously played in Jacqueline's mind. More people who would thank you, rather than blame you.

While there were undoubtedly people who blame them for what happened, Gabby was right in what she said. A majority of the people will see them as heroes. And at that moment, Jacqueline remembered why the initiative was created in the first place. To protect Earth from unusual threats. To fight for those who couldn't defend themselves. Now she understood what Coulson believed in. The Avengers had laid down the foundation of what they were…heroes.

...

After her meal had been completed, Jacqueline found herself alone in the med bay. Tony, Alex, and Gabby vouched for her to get more rest. The others would be able to visit her after she got more rest. However, Jacqueline wasn't tired. After they left, she just sat in bed, content with how full her stomach felt. She wasn't hungry, which meant that she wasn't grumpy anymore. And the painkillers were still doing their job. So, she felt rather relaxed. After a beat, she called her mother, to ensure her that everything was fine. And even though she thought against it, Jacqueline told Kathleen what injuries she had sustained.

It took a while, but Jacqueline managed to calm her mother. Really, everything was fine. She wasn't in a life-threatening position, she was going to heal from her injuries. To which Kathleen said that she would like for Jacqueline to stay with her and John. Just so that she could keep an eye on her daughter. Knowing Jacqueline, she would test her limits, when she should be resting and not pushing herself. But, it didn't take a lot to convince Jacqueline. Staying with her parents for a while would actually be pretty nice.

When the phone call ended, she found herself facing the same issue she faced before calling her mother. There was nothing for her to do. She wasn't tired. She wasn't hungry. What was she supposed to do if she can't fall asleep?

The answer came in the form of a phone call. Her cell phone had been sitting on the night table next to her. When she picked up the phone, the name that appeared on the screen made her smile. She quickly answered and put the phone up to her ear. "Hey."

 _"So, I heard that you guys saved New York City."_ Sharon's voice came through, the lightness in her voice made Jacqueline scoff.

"The others did most of the saving." Jacqueline messed with the blanket covering her body. "I was unconscious for about half of it." That wasn't a lie. She still didn't know how long she had been unconscious for.

 _"Unconscious?"_ Sharon's voice lost its chipper tone, replaced with concern. _"Are you alright? What happened?"_

The agent emitted a silent breath. Gabby didn't call Sharon about this, which mean that she would have to tell Sharon what happened. Great. "Uh." She wondered if she should just sugar coat the explanation, and not give Sharon the full details. But, Jacqueline then realized that Sharon would have been able to see right through the cover-up. "It's not as bad as you think. Just some bruised ribs, and a…minor concussion."

 _"A minor concussion?"_ Sharon repeated. _"That sounds pretty serious to me."_ Jacqueline went to say something against it, but Sharon sensed it right away. _"You may not think it's that bad…but a concussion is a concussion, Jackie."_

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You don't have to tell me, or give me any kind of lecture."

Sharon hummed on the other end. Jacqueline could hear some shuffling from the other end. It sounded like Sharon was moving things around. _"How are you feeling?"_

Jacqueline pouted her lips, absentmindedly picking at a loose piece of string sticking out from the fabric. "I'm fine. The painkillers are doing their job. But, they want to keep me here for a few more days, just to observe me."

Sharon heard the disdain in Jacqueline's voice. _"I know you would rather not be there for that long, but just let them monitor you. Just to make sure it doesn't get even more serious."_

"I know, don't worry." She settled against her pillow, resting a hand on her forehead. "By the way, Peggy doesn't know about what happened in New York, does she?"

 _"No, I made sure to tell the staff to keep her away from the news."_

"Good." Jacqueline nodded. Then, she cringed as she said, "Do me a favor, please don't tell her about my injuries. The last thing I want is for her to worry about me being hurt, or how serious it is."

 _"I agree. Don't worry, I won't tell her anything."_

"I appreciate that."

 _"You know, she really misses you."_

That instantly changed the mood. Jacqueline frowned. "Yeah, I know, I miss her too. I really do plan on visiting. I just, a lot happened the past few weeks."

 _"Oh, Jackie, you don't need to apologize. I just want you to see her. Plus, I miss you."_

Jacqueline smiled. "I miss you too." That was it. She made a spur of the moment decision. "Okay, listen, I promise, once things start to calm down, I'll make a trip out there."

 _"Don't make promises you can't keep, Lewis. Besides, you need to let your body heal. Especially with that concussion you have."_

Both women laughed, diffusing any tension that had been there before. But, when the privacy curtain parted, she froze and looked up. And she had to purse her lips from laughing. Steve was just barely poking his head through, and for some reason, the sight was rather amusing to her. She gestured for him forward, then mouthed 'hold on'. "Hey, sorry, I need to go. But I'll text you tomorrow, okay?"

 _"Okay, you get some rest. I'll talk to you later, Jackie."_

"Okay, bye." Jacqueline ended the call and turned her full attention to Steve. He was no longer in his uniform, he had changed into the same clothes he had worn on his arrival to the Helicarrier. She noticed that he had sutures on his forehead, which was an injury he received during the battle.

Steve gestured at her phone, "Sorry if I was interrupting something."

Jacqueline vehemently shook her head. "No, don't worry, I was just talking to a friend." She placed the phone back down on the night table. "What's going on?"

"I just wanted to come by and see how you were doing."

She smiled. "I'm doing fine. Painkillers really help with dealing with all the soreness and pain. But, they want to keep me here for a few more days. Just for observation." Steve nodded, glad that she wasn't in pain, and was resting comfortably. "You were the one who took me to that ambulance, weren't you?"

It took a moment for Steve to process what she had asked. But, when he did, he gave a faint nod. "Yeah. Well, you said that you needed help. And when I found you, you were unconscious and bleeding."

She cringed. "Must not have been a real pretty sight."

It wasn't. He wouldn't verbally say it to her, but the sight of her unconscious, bleeding form reminded him of what he had witnessed during the war. He had to force himself to push it aside just to get her help. "I just needed to get you out of there, and to get you some help."

"Well, thank you for doing that."

"It's not something you need to thank me for. It wasn't like I was going to just leave you there."

She huffed out a breath. No, he wouldn't do that. "Either way, you deserved to be thanked, so, thanks again." She paused, allowing a brief silence to permit between them. "How are you doing? I mean you just had your first fight since waking up, you doing okay?"

"Yeah," Steve admitted, hanging onto the rest of his answer for just a moment longer. "I mean, before I went into the ice, fighting was all I knew. It felt really familiar to me." Hearing Steve say it, made it even harder to hear. Before getting dosed up on the serum, he had been nothing but a sickly person, who only wanted to help his country. Turn away every time because of his physical ailments. When he was finally able to, it gave him a real sense of purpose. That he was finally able to help in the biggest way possible. He was able to step back into those shoes again. It didn't feel good. It just felt familiar.

"Well, at least you got through it. Like, a real soldier." She pursed her lips at the end of her sentence. Literally, no pun intended. For a split moment, she saw Steve smile. A proper, genuine smile. One that was so incredibly infectious, to the point where she was smiling. She couldn't help it.

"Did you hear about what they were saying on the news?"

She perked up an eyebrow and breathed out a sigh. "Tony mentioned it earlier. That's just how it is. No matter how much you help others, there will always be those who try to twist it around, make it your fault."

He stashed his hands in his pockets, quietly agreeing with her. "I only caught a little bit."

She merely shook her head. Steve shouldn't be watching all of that. At least, not right now. "It's an unfortunate thing everyone is going to have to deal with. There will be people whose sole mission is to tear you down."

"Guess we'll just have to deal with it when it happens."

Jacqueline shifted in her position but paused when she felt the sudden tug of soreness in her ribs. She cringed and bit down on her lip, a low hiss escaping her lips. This alerted Steve, who took a step towards her bed. "You alright?"

"Yeah," she groaned. "The painkillers are starting to wear off."

He hesitated, partially widened eyes scanned over her form. "You want me to go get someone?"

"No," she gently waved off his offer. "I think I just need to sleep it off." Yeah, just sleep it off. That should help until she can ask Emily for some more painkillers.

As Jacqueline struggled to lay herself down, Steve felt the urge to step forward and help her settle in, but he had to stop himself. He didn't think that it would be appropriate if he did so, though he didn't know why he thought that. It just didn't seem like the right thing for him to do. While he had been debating with himself, Jacqueline managed to settle herself in and she stared at Steve, who was silently standing near her bed.

"Are you okay?"

He shook himself out of the trance and nodded. "Yeah, sorry. I'm fine. But, you get some rest."

"Yeah, you should get some rest as well. Just because you got the serum in your veins, doesn't mean a fight like that can't wear you out."

Steve silently chuckled, but nodded his head, regardless. "I'll keep that in mind." He walked over to the privacy curtain and paused to turn back to her. "You sure you don't need me to get anyone?"

Jacqueline shook her head. "Thanks anyway."

Steve's gaze lingered on her longer than he had anticipated. Jacqueline noticed that it was the same gentle stare he gave her at the cabin weeks ago. Once again, it didn't make her uncomfortable. It made her feel…she actually didn't know. She couldn't put it into words. It just made her feel something.

By habit, she smiled at him, and just like before, it snapped him out of his trance. He then said one more thing before leaving. "Goodnight, Jacks."

He used the nickname again. I guess he's done with the full name. "Goodnight, Steve." Her last statement made the corner of her lips tug upward. Why was she smiling? She had no idea, but it made her feel warm and relaxed. It made her feel happy.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey, look. An update that didn't take me over a month to post up! So, we finally got through the battle. From what I have planned, there is only one more chapter for part one and we'll be right into part two. I hope you all are excited!

Until next time! A review would be greatly appreciated!

(edited 4/30/18)


	14. Part I: XIV

Three Days Later…

* * *

" _Agent….Agent Lewis."_

Jacqueline jumped in her seat and glanced up. Fury and the rest of the Avengers were all looking at her, waiting for something. She eyed each one of them, feeling herself shrinking smaller each time. "What?" she finally asked.

Fury gave her a long glance before repeating, "I asked, what is your opinion on the matter of Loki and The Tesseract?"

Oh right, that's what we're talking about. She cleared her throat and straightened her back, taking care of her still sore ribs. "When it comes to Loki, if you really want my honest opinion, I don't care where he goes. I'd much prefer to never see him again. If that means letting Thor take him back to Asgard, then, by all means, go right ahead."

Fury nodded, silently. "And what about the Tesseract?"

"We all know what it's capable of. That thing opened a hole in the sky allowing an alien race to invade our planet. It's just too much for us to handle. It should be taken somewhere that can house it and guard it, properly. Somewhere far away from Earth. We don't need that kind of force here."

No one said anything. However, their approval came in forms of smiles and nods. When she glanced over at Steve, his smile was still evident, glad that all of them had agreed on this one choice. This meeting was called by Fury. He wanted to get the team's input on what was to be done, which was rather civil of him. They all saved the world, in exchange, they got to have a say in determining the fate of Loki and the Tesseract. Seemed fair to her.

"You have our thoughts," Tony spoke up, casting a careful eye at the director. "What's your choice?"

Fury eyed each individual, knowing that he owed them some form of trust and gratitude. For what they did for the city and the world. They came through when it seemed all hope was lost. The least he could do is give them the benefit of a doubt. He needed to trust them. And if they think Loki and the Tesseract need to be far away from here...then so be it.

"Very well," Fury saw each member visible relax by his words. It only made him more confident in his choice. "Loki and the Tesseract will leave with Thor and return to Asgard. We trust them in your care."

"You all need not worry. Loki will be dealt with and the Tesseract will be safe. I give you all my word."

"I'll set up for the release," Fury rose from his seat. With a nod, Fury dismissed the group. Everyone started to slowly file out one by one. Jacqueline was just starting to ease herself out of the chair, with Tony's help, when Fury spoke up. "Lewis, I need to talk to you for a moment."

At his words, she plopped herself back into the chair and glanced up at Tony, nodding for him to leave. After giving a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder, he left with the rest of the team. Once the door closed, Jacqueline turned to face Fury. "What's this about sir?"

"Well, first off I want to say that you all did great work down in New York. I'm glad that we had all of you to fight for us.

"Oh," she paused to lick her lips. "Sir, the Avengers did more than me. I was never recruited for the initiative, I just wanted to get justice for a friend."

"You helped save New York City. Regardless of whether you were recruited, or not. We owe you a great deal for what you did."

She couldn't necessarily argue with that. But still, it felt weird to accept this gratitude. "Thank you, sir."

"Which brings me onto why I asked you to stay," he messed around with the screen and pulled up her digital file, then said, "how do you feel about transferring to D.C.?"

The questioned threw Jacqueline for a loop. She opened her mouth to answer but found herself short of breath. "D.C.?" she asked, her voice just barely above a whisper.

Fury nodded, successfully suppressing a smirk at her reaction. "You've proven yourself here many times, Lewis. I have been personally selecting the best agents here to be transferred to D.C., where I need them the most." He paused, then pointed a finger at her. "You're one of them."

This was crazy. Yes, most of the agents here would love the opportunity to transfer to D.C. And Jacqueline thought, maybe, there will be a time for her to thoroughly plan out the possibility. This was so sudden, she wasn't sure how to react to the proposition. "I'm very flattered, sir, but I don't know if me going to D.C. is the right thing to do."

"Why?"

She gave a weak shrug. "I mean my dad, I don't want to be away from him. Everything and everyone, I know is here, in New York. This is my home."

"I thought you wanted to transfer to D.C.?"

"I did...I do." She slunk back into the chair, her hands rubbed against each other in contemplation. "I just don't know if right now is the best time."

He understood and respected her reasoning. But, she still seemed uncertain. "I'll tell you what, I'll give you two weeks to think about it." She went to argue that it wasn't necessary, but Fury continued. "Two weeks. You think about it, and when the time is up, you let me know your answer, okay?"

"Yes, sir."

Fury settled back in his chair, hands cupped together. "I'll be waiting for your answer, Agent." With a simple gesture, Fury dismissed her.

Jacqueline said nothing else. Only got up from her seat and quietly slipped out of the room. She blew out a breath, one crisis has been taken care of-now she has another one to resolve.

* * *

The med-bay was true to its word. After spending an extra three days on the Helicarrier, she was finally granted permission to go home, with strict instruction to take painkillers and plenty of rest. Emily suggested that she either stay with someone or have someone go home with her. Jacqueline had planned on going to her parent's house, however, she was too exhausted to make the trip out there. Tony offered an alternative solution. She could stay with him, for as long as she wanted. Her original intent was to just stay there for one night. That quickly turned into two days, then three, and before she knew it, she had stayed at Tony's for over a week. So much for going to stay with her mom and dad.

Although, she loved how attentive Tony was to her. Every night he would bring her a fresh ice pack and painkillers. They ate dinner-which consisted of nothing but take out- together in the spare bedroom that she was staying in and would talk for hours. Often, it would be about simple, mundane things. She did, however, bring up the subject of her possible transfer.

"Are you going to take it?"

"I don't know. I don't want to be away from dad."

Tony didn't suggest what she should do, rather he only told her that it was all up to her. That didn't help her in the slightest. It was just nice to have someone to talk to about it.

After dinner one night, Tony left to either go to bed or to make plans for renovations, Jacqueline was left alone in her room. The tv was on. She was channel surfing when she came across the news channel. Still, even after a full week, they were talking about the destruction of downtown. The news anchor was talking with someone who thought the Avengers should be held accountable. This made her eyes roll and she quickly switched the channel to some trashy reality show.

She settled against the pillows, watching the drama unfold before her on the screen. In her own confusion, she questioned as to why she was subjecting herself to this torture. Before she could change the channel, her phone on the nightstand began to vibrate. She reached over and glanced down at the screen, smiling at the name. She answered. "Hey, what's up?"

" _I had an inkling that you needed to talk about something,"_ Sharon spoke, giving a small chuckle at the end.

Jacqueline's lips pressed into a thin line, trying to prevent herself from smirking. "Oh, how did you know?"

" _A little birdy told me. Plus, I just had this feeling that something was up."_ Jacqueline hummed quietly before Sharon continued. " _So, what's up?"_

Jacqueline clicked her tongue, then said, "Fury said that he wants to transfer me over to D.C."

" _Really?"_ Sharon's voice sounded so surprised, yet elated. " _That's what you've been gearing towards, right?"_

"Yeah." Jacqueline's singular answer threw Sharon for a loop.

" _Okay, then why do you sound so unhappy about it? Besides, if you transfer here, that means we get to work together, we all know how fun that will be."_

Jacqueline grinned at what kind of trouble her and Sharon could get themselves into. "You're right, I do want to transfer. But, thinking about it, I'm not sure that it's such a good idea."

" _Please, explain it to me."_

Rolling her shoulders back, she let out a breath that blew a stray piece of hair from her face. "It's just everything is here, you know? My family, my friends. I'm just familiar with everything here, and I don't want to leave that."

There was silence on the other end. But, it only lasted for a moment. The next words Sharon spoke rendered Jacqueline speechless. " _You don't want to leave because of your dad, right?"_

Was it really that noticeable? "Okay, yeah," she finally answered. "But, mind you, that's not the only reason, what I said before was true." She pouted her lips when Sharon said nothing more. "But, yeah, dad is the main reason I don't want to leave." No words were spoken from the other end. Just a faint hum, which was Jacqueline's cue to continue. "He's not getting any better. And, I guess I'm just scared...scared that if I leave, something is going to happen, and I won't be there for him."

" _I understand. But, you can't be basing your decisions because of other people, Jackie. What did your parents say?"_

"They want me to go." Jacqueline thought back to the conversation she had with her parents over the phone. Her mother and father told her to take the opportunity. That it would be a great experience for her and that she shouldn't make her decision based on her friends or family.

" _Then, you should go. And I am not just saying that because I'm here, but this is something you've been working towards. Don't let your hard work go to waste. You've done this several times."_

She wasn't wrong there. "Like almost dropping out of the ops academy after dad was diagnosed."

" _And I know that if you did, you would have regretted it."_

Jacqueline groaned at how Sharon was right. If she had followed through with dropping out, she would not be where she is. And she loved her job, she couldn't imagine life without the working as an agent for an organization aspect of it all.

"I just don't want to be far away from him." Jacqueline paused, her mind suddenly going into a downward spiral. "I just don't get it, Sharon. Peggy, and my dad, they're good people, who dedicated their lives to helping others. What did they do to deserve this?"

" _Nothing."_

Both women descended into silence. Thinking about the seriousness of Peggy and John's diagnosis, and how, inevitably, they will die from it. How sinister was that? There was nothing that could be done for them, there was no cure. Only prescribed medication could temporarily improve their symptoms. That's it. What the hell was that going to do for them? Absolutely nothing.

" _I hate saying this, but we both know it's the truth. We can spend as much time with them, make decisions based on them, and do everything for them…but, they're not going to get better. The best we can do is take each day as it comes, and cherish every moment we have with them."_

"It's just strange to think that they both could," she couldn't say it. Just thinking about it was too heartbreaking to fathom.

" _Don't think about it."_ Sharon switched the subject, trying to get their minds off the grim thought. " _Get some rest, okay? And, let me know if you'll be transferring. We can go apartment hunting together."_

She smirked, her mood already increasing. "Sounds good. I'll talk to you later."

" _Goodnight, Jackie."_

...

"Are you sure that Mr. Stark really wants to see me?"

Jacqueline cast a side glance at the young man standing next to her, his eyes were wide at the idea, which only made her smirk. "He told me he wanted to see you when he heard you were in town. Said, that he wanted your help with something."

Matt tapped his foot against the ground. He anxiously glanced up at the display, watching the number increase. Jacqueline had received a call from Alex that his cousin Matt was in town. She told Tony that she wanted to meet them for coffee. That's when he told her to bring Matt back to Stark Tower. It came as a surprise to her. Why? Jacqueline and Matt had no idea what Tony wanted, only that he wanted the young man's opinion on something he was working on.

The fact that Tony Stark wanted Matt's opinion on something, made the young man incredibly giddy, and anxious at the same time. What could Stark possibly need his opinion on? He was far more intelligent with technology. Matt was just an awkward guy, who likes working with computers, and happens to know how to hack nearly anything. Jacqueline would occasionally call Matt, Tony 2.0. Just for that one similarity.

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened to the main parlor on the top floor. There were huge tarps hanging from the ceiling. Tony had been going at it with the renovations, and Jacqueline had to listen to it all for a full week. The strong odor of fresh paint was still prominent and it was making her sick.

"Wow. You all did a real number on this place."

"Well, I didn't." Jacqueline reiterated. "But you should've seen it right after the battle. It was pretty bad."

The two remained in the sitting room, while Matt walked around, admiring the space he was currently standing in. From down the main hall, footsteps were heading in their direction. Jacqueline turned to the source and could see Tony and Steve conversing with one another.

What was Steve doing here?

Matt appeared next to Jacqueline, staring at the two figures walking down the hall. It was Tony Stark and… "Is that Captain America?"

Jacqueline was startled by his question and briefly gazed at him, seeing the surprised look in his eyes and his mouth was parted. "Yeah, that's him."

The two men noticed the pair immediately, cutting their conversation short. Jacqueline, realizing that she was just staring at them, broke her gaze and gave a small awkward wave. Just then, Matt stepped alongside Jacqueline, his widened eyes staring at the pair in front of them.

"Holy shit," he whispered, causing Jacqueline give him a side glance.

"Hey, Jacks."

Jacqueline suppressed a smile at hearing the new nickname Steve had bestowed upon her. She had questioned him earlier about it, asking him where it came from. It just slipped out. She didn't mind it, in fact, she took a quick liking to the new nickname. "Hey, Steve."

From the corner of her eye, she could see Matt staring at Steve without any regard. He was acting like he was looking at one of the Eighth Wonders of the World. Steve caught on quickly and gave the young man a nod.

"Uh, Steve this is Matt. Matt this is Steve." Jacqueline quickly introduced them to each other.

Steve had stuck his hand out which Matt took with such ease. "Oh, you don't need to tell me who this is. You're Steve Rogers...Captain America." Matt grinned and breathed out an excited laugh while awkwardly shaking Steve's hand. "Wow. This-this is amazing. It's such an honor to meet you, sir."

Steve could only gawk at the young man, taking notice at how he was still shaking Steve's hand. "It's nice to meet you too, Matt."

"Wow, he knows my name."

"Smooth." Tony stepped forward, clapped a hand on Matt's shoulder. "Come on," Tony started to lead Matt away. "There's a new program I want you to look at."

Matt waved goodbye to Jacqueline and Steve before turning to Tony, "he knew my name."

"That's because Jaq told him."

It took everything in her strength to not facepalm. In response, she laughed and continued when she saw the look on Steve's face. Steve was sporting the most bemused look at the interaction he just had. "Sorry about Matt," she lightly apologized. "When he gets nervous, or anxious, he just kinda gets that way."

Steve chuckled, not bothered by the young man's reaction. "It's completely fine. How do you know Matt?"

"He's Alex's cousin."

Steve nodded. "He's a nice kid."

"Yeah, some people just don't know how to handle his personality." Most people would just label him as some hyperactive kid who they can't make any time for. Matt has always been that way around people-at least, people that he doesn't know. With Jacqueline and the others, he's perfectly calm.

"How are you doing?"

Steve's questioned brought her focus back center and she took a quick glance at herself. Her hand instinctively cradled her ribs. "I'm doing good." She winced. "My ribs are not as sore and my headaches are pretty much gone."

"Good," Steve smiled, relieved to hear that. "I'm glad you're much better."

"What about you?" Jacqueline quickly pointed at him. The last time she had seen Steve was on the Helicarrier before she left. Jacqueline meant to go with the group to send off Thor and Loki. However, her body wasn't cooperating with her that day. "You don't even look like you fought an alien invasion. Perks of having super serum, I guess."

Steve cracked the faintest smile, unable to suppress it. "I guess so."

"What were you, uh, what did you come here for?"

"Just wanted to talk with Tony about a few things."

This piqued her interest. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah everything is fine. It wasn't about anything bad." Steve stuffed his hands into his pockets and began to stroll towards the elevator. "But, I was just on my way out."

"Oh," Jacqueline quickly walked after him and slipped into the elevator with him. "I'll walk with you then."

Steve pressed the button for the bottom level and the doors closed. They remained quiet for a few seconds before Jacqueline broke the silence. "So, now that the whole thing with Loki and the Tesseract has been resolved, what are you going to do?"

Steve, keeping his eyes on the level numbers, pondered on her question. "I don't know. Maybe I'll travel around for a little bit. Not sure what I'll do."

"Sounds like heaven to me." Jacqueline would love nothing more than to go on a trip. Maybe drive cross country with Gabby and Sharon. Just a leisurely trip.

"What about you?"

D.C. was the first thing that came to her mind. Just thinking about it was starting to stress her out. "Uh, well, just a lot more work. Fury wants me to transfer to D.C."

Steve hummed in his own surprise.

"But, I don't know if I'm going to take the position."

"Why not?"

"Honestly, my dad." Steve could only look at her with sympathy. "I mean, I know it's only like a four-hour drive, but that's four hours between me and him. And if anything happened, what if I don't get there in time?" She cringed at the finality in her voice. She sounded so grim as if all hope had been stripped away from her. Has it? Jacqueline gave Steve an apologetic smile and shook her head, "sorry, that just sounded really depressing. I didn't mean to be like that."

Steve shrugged his shoulders, "you don't need to apologize, it makes perfect sense why you wouldn't' want to leave."

The elevator doors opened, revealing the expansive garage filled with various cars. Perks of being a billionaire. Well, if someone has that kind of vast fortune, why not spend it on things they don't absolutely need?

They both stepped out, each surveying the multiples cars as they passed them. Steve began to lead them towards the end of the garage where Jacqueline spotted a motorcycle. As she got closer, her vision became more clear and her lips curled into a smirk. She pointed at the motorcycle. "I recognize this." She placed a hand on the handlebar. "Isn't this the motorcycle Banner uses?"

"Yeah. I, uh-it was put in my possession. I fixed it up a little bit. It works great."

"Yeah," Jacqueline smiled, admiring the bike. "You gonna go travel the country with just this bike?"

"Maybe. I like the idea."

"Well, if anyone deserves a long vacation, it's definitely you." Jacqueline bit the inside of her cheek, surveying the man standing next to her. She could still sense it. The tension in his shoulders, how stiff his movements were. It's the same thing she saw after he woke up. "How are you doing?" This time, she felt no hesitation in asking him. Her concern for him was almost like second nature at this point.

Steve's face softened as he regarded her for a moment. "I'm…" he paused. None of the right words were coming to his mind. Only a week after the battle and he was still trying to recuperate from it. "I'm managing." He finally said. "It's still hard getting out of bed. I feel like I'm going on autopilot like I'm in some kind of limbo. Sometimes, nothing seems real but I know it is and I have to constantly remind myself."

Steve quietly laughed, his eyes fell causing Jacqueline to do the same. She was fighting the urge to step forward and wrap her arms around him. If it had been Alex, Gabby, or even Tony in this situation, she would do so without thinking. But, she hardly knew Steve. Personal contact this early on might be unsettling for him. She clenched her hands into fists, deciding against the notion. But, dammit, she just wanted to comfort the man.

"You just got to take each day as it comes. Start off with small steps and work your way forward." She then cringed. "I am really sorry for having to ask you to jump back in so quickly."

Steve could only shake his head, trying to stop Jacqueline from expressing any form of guilt. However, the agent continued.

"You've only been out for a few weeks. And then we come along, asking you for your help." She scoffed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I knew it wasn't a good idea. You needed more time."

"You needed my help." Steve clarified, forcing the agent to go silent. "I was more than willing to."

"But for you, at what cost?"

Steve didn't answer. He knew there was some truth to her concern. He could feel it in every inch of his body. The night she came to recruit him, he had toyed with the idea of declining the mission. He knew he wasn't ready. But, New York needed him, SHIELD needed him. Wasn't that the whole point of Captain America? To help those who needed it, regardless of how he felt?

"When does Fury need to know?" Steve asked. It was a desperate attempt on his part to drive the conversation's focus off of him.

Jacqueline shook her head, completely taken back by his question, but she took the hint. The last thing she wanted was to make him even more uncomfortable. "About what?"

"About D.C."

Oh. Jacqueline sighed, having to take a moment in order to remember the deadline. "I have about a week to decide. I feel like I'm going crazy. The more I think about it, the more stressed I become. I just need to figure it all out and soon."

Steve only nodded. In a swift movement, he mounted the bike placing one of his hands on the handlebar and tapped his thumb against the handle. He was definitely contemplating something. She could see it. "If it helps in any way, I think you should take it. Again my opinion doesn't matter but if it's something you've been working towards...take it."

At least he actually picked a side. Everyone else, aside from her parents, have told her that it was all about to her. Sometimes, it helped tremendously when people tell you what they actually thought. "I appreciate it."

From her pocket, Jacqueline could feel her phone begin to vibrate. As she fished it out, she breathed a quick apology to Steve before answering. "Hello?"

" _Hey!"_ It was Matt. " _Where are you at right now?"_

The quickness in Matt's voice made her take a step back. "I'm in the garage with Steve. What's wrong?"

" _Well, the program that Mr. Stark wants me to look at needs some real fixing up, which means I'm gonna be here a while. So, I was wondering if you could maybe.."_

"Get you sustenance?"

" _I love that you're able to get it right off the bat. Yes, if you wouldn't mind?"_

"Okay, yeah, I'll head out, probably pick up some take out."

" _You're a lifesaver."_

As she stashed the phone back in her pocket, she blew out a laugh at the look Steve was giving her. "I need to head into the city, pick up some food for the boys."

"You need a ride?"

"Oh, no I uh, I don't want to impose or anything." She planned on hailing a cab or maybe even just walking to her destination. But, the idea of riding a motorcycle with Steve Rogers was just absurd. Definitely absurd.

"No, you're not. I'm the one offering, aren't I?"

"Right." She smiled, awkwardly, her mouth parted not understanding why it was difficult for her to come up with words. "I just-you sure you don't need to be anywhere, or need to do something?"

Steve shrugged and shook his head.

 _Decline it, Jackie. Politely decline the offer and get yourself a cab._ The internal dialogue went on for what felt like forever. And the expectant look on Steve's face didn't help the situation. She could only say the first thing that came to her mind. "Okay, um, sure yeah I'd like that."

Steve reached around for the helmet and offered it to her. "Then, you're going to need this."

She took it, silently screaming at herself. "What about you?" she asked, gesturing to the helmet in her hand. "Do you have another one?"

"No. It's fine, I don't need one."

"Oh," she clicked her tongue as she strapped on the helmet. "That seems very adventurous of you. Shouldn't Captain America be promoting to the youth about the importance of bike safety?"

"Yes," he answered. Steve arched a brow as she glanced over at Jacqueline. "That's what I'm doing by giving you the helmet."

"Fair enough."

Jacqueline mounted the bike, making sure that the helmet was secured to her head. Then, as if on instinct, Jacqueline wrapped her arms around Steve's waist. Suddenly, she froze, her eyes blinked at how casual it was. In a sudden moment, Jacqueline removed her arms from around his waist and, instead, placed her hands on his shoulders.

Steve never said anything. She had hoped that he didn't notice it, however, that was very unlikely. His silence was both unnerving and relief. Steve then glanced back at her, their eyes locking down on each other, and all he did was offer a smile. "You know, it would be a lot safer if you have a hold around me."

She swallowed hard, merely staring at him as he faced forward. Jacqueline timidly moved her hands off his shoulders and slowly secured her arms around his waist. Her cheek was almost touching his back, she was close, very close to him. This is crazy. This isn't a good idea.

"You all set?" Steve asked.

Taking a silent breath, she nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm all good."

Steve kicked on the engine, which roared with an almost deafening kick. It had been a while since she's been on one of these things. She almost forgot the exhilarating feeling it brought on. A thought crossed her mind as Steve turned out of the garage and onto the main street. She was riding on a motorcycle with Steve Rogers. A man who was thought to have been dead for nearly seventy years. A man who only came back not even a month ago, who beat so many odds. Now here he was, riding through the streets of New York City in the 21st century and she was able to share this small moment with him.

It could have been a dream. But the sound of the bike engine and car horns kept her focused. Her hold around him tightened, which only brought her closer to him. The close proximity between them felt incredibly foreign. Jacqueline thought it would make things weird between them. However, as she rested her chin against his shoulder, she caught a glance at his face. He seemed incredibly at ease, completely unfazed by his current situation.

It rubbed off onto her. The tension in her body eased and her lips stretched into a smile. Everything seemed okay. Like all the pieces were falling into place. The feeling she felt was familiar. The first time it appeared was at the safe house. And it was calm moments like these that allowed her a glimpse into who Steve Rogers really was.

This was Steve Rogers and he was definitely a wonder.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello everyone. Yeah, it's about six months since I last updated and I do apologize. I had lost all muse and motivation for this story. I managed to get this chapter done, although, I believe it's the most lack-luster chapter I've ever written. I'm hoping my muse for the story will stay now that it's semi-returned. I've thought about discontinuing it several times. Fortunately, I haven't come through on that. There is a poll on my profile I would like for you all to take a look at. It would definitely help me out a lot! I won't be posting anything relating to Part Two until I can figure out what I'll be doing, which is why the poll is very important.

A review is much appreciated and hopefully I'll see you all in part two!


	15. PART II: I

Welcome to Part Two of Renegades! To everyone who has read from the beginning, thank you so much for your continued support. To anyone who is a first time reader, HELLO! So we have finally reached The Winter Soldier. I hope you all are as excited as I am about this point in the story and I hope you all enjoy the ride!

 **Rating:** T for basics: language, violence, romance will be a little more implied here

 **Pairings:** Steve/OC

 **Summary:** After the Battle of New York, Jacqueline transfers to Washington D.C., something that has been her goal since day one. For nearly two years, she along with Steve and Natasha, run several missions together. However, everything changes with the assassination of Director Fury. Steve and Jacqueline find themselves on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hit list and are forced to go on the run. Along the way, they uncover a dark secret that's been rooted deep within the organization's history.

 **warnings: injuries will be more descriptive in this segment. mentions of blood and guns. we will also get more of a glimpse into Jackie's PTSD and what caused it.**

 **disclaimer: I do not own Marvel. All original characters are mine!**

* * *

 **Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington D.C.**

 **Late June 2012**

* * *

Jacqueline stood outside the entrance of the airport, she fingers typing out a quick message in the group chat.

 _Just landed in Washington. Everything is fine._

She slid the phone into her pocket and crossed her arms over her chest. From her pocket, she could feel her phone vibrate multiple times from everyone responding. She simply ignored it, she'll check them once she gets to her apartment. The smell of car exhaust stung her nose. She pinched her nose and exhaled an exhausted breath. God, she hated airports.

The sharp sound of a car horn caught her attention. A black Chevy pulled up to the curb. The driver rolled down the passenger window and when Jacqueline peered in she was greeted with the smiling face of Sharon. The blonde shifted the car into park and hopped out, then raised her arms up to gesture around her, "Welcome to Washington D.C.!"

Jacqueline looked around her, barely smiling at the bland look of the airport. "I hope that it doesn't all look like this," she used her finger to gesture at their surroundings.

Sharon rolled her eyes. "Of course not," she closed the car door and walked around the vehicle. "It's a lot better once we leave the airport." Sharon engulfed Jacqueline in a bone-crushing hug, one that she reciprocated without hesitation. "You don't know how happy I am that you decided to transfer."

Jacqueline pulled away, the smile was still evident on her face. "I just hope that it was the right choice."

"Hey," Sharon placed a hand on her shoulder. "Your Dad is going to be fine, okay? Besides, this is what you've been working towards."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Come on." Sharon grabbed Jacqueline's suitcase and rolled it to her trunk. When the bags were secured in the trunk, they both entered the car on their respective sides and Sharon drove them out of the airport. When they were on the main highway, going towards the city, Sharon finally broke the silence. "So, what was it like?"

Jacqueline, who had been distracted from the sight of the city, glanced over at her friend, her brows raised, "what?"

"Your last few days in New York," Sharon said, giving her the most obvious look.

"Oh," a smile immediately appeared. "It was fine. Tony threw me a going away party that was also kind of a birthday party for me."

Sharon's attention piqued. "That sounds like fun. Did you get any good gifts?"

Jacqueline's hand moved to her neck, her fingers grazing over the thin, dainty chain. "Yeah, I got some pretty nice gifts. They were just casual, nothing like spectacular."

The gift haul wasn't that bad. She got a few more Stephen King books from Alex, a new leather jacket from her parents, a care package full of candles and other goods from Gabby, and a record player and a few vinyls from Tony-okay that gift may have been the most spectacular. Natasha dragged her out to the mall the next day. Since she couldn't find anything to get for her, the redhead felt that taking Jacqueline on a shopping spree would suffice. The birthday girl couldn't necessarily complain. They shopped around, ate greasy overpriced mall food, and talked...for hours. A day well spent. Then there was the necklace Steve had given to her. A gift that was completely unexpected.

" _You really didn't have to get me anything."_

" _Think of it as a thank you gift as well."_

While the necklace itself was beautiful and incredibly thoughtful, it did make her curious. She had asked him how he had chosen this particular gift. Steve admitted that Gabby had brought up Jacqueline's birthday to him, and convinced him to go shopping with her for birthday gifts.

" _Gabby helped me pick it out, so, it was a collaborative effort."_

Jacqueline couldn't be angry at Gabby, there was nothing malicious about it. However, she did exchange a few words with her friend, asking her to never put Steve on the spot like that again. Gabby promised she wouldn't, however, Jacqueline had a feeling that promise wouldn't last long. Regardless, Jacqueline put on the necklace and since then, she's rarely taken it off, only when she's sleeping or taking a shower. There was something about this dainty little accessory that sparks something within her.

Sharon pulled the car into a parking space on the side of the road. When they stepped out, Jacqueline took a moment to admire the apartment building in front of her. Still looked the same as when she last saw it back in May. S.H.I.E.L.D. had helped to narrow down the search, suggesting a few apartment complexes that were relatively close to work. It was all up to Jacqueline to decide which complex to live in. It was a blessing that she had Sharon to help her with everything.

They pulled out Jacqueline's bags from the trunk and entered the apartment building. Jacqueline's apartment was on the fifth floor, which lucky for her, was the top floor of the complex. Unlucky for the two of them because they decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator, a decision they both regretted almost immediately.

"Why didn't we use the elevator?" Sharon questioned, both arms were starting to cramp from carrying a few of Jacqueline's luggage.

"Because we weren't even thinking about it," Jacqueline answered, dragging her huge suitcase behind her. "Besides, it's a good workout."

Sharon could only scoff in response.

They reached the fifth floor much to their relief. Jacqueline pulled out her apartment key, unlocked and opened the door, and once they were in, dropped all the bags. Jacqueline surveyed the front room. Unopened boxes were strewn about the place, some contained her belongings and the others were more furniture she had purchased for the apartment. Jacqueline had shipped various of her things to Sharon's address, the latter kept them at her residence until Jacqueline was able to find an apartment. Before picking her up at the airport, Sharon dropped off the boxes.

The kitchen opens into the living room, which was a detail she really loved about this complex. Past the living room was the main hallway where the bathroom and her bedroom was. It was quite a spacious apartment, a step up from her old New York apartment.

"You know, we bought the furniture for this place not that long ago," Jacqueline turned and began to drag her suitcase towards her bedroom. "Yet, seeing it in this new place just makes it look like a hundred times better."

"Good." Sharon picked up the remaining bags and followed her friend to the bedroom. "Because furniture hunting for this place was an absolute pain."

Jacqueline rolled her eyes at the memory. "No kidding."

They left the luggage near Jacqueline's bed, which was bare from any sheets or blankets. She placed her hands on her hip, surveyed the bedroom, feeling the immediate drop in her stomach. There was a bunch of unpacking that needed to be done and Jacqueline suddenly felt incredibly lazy.

Sharon noticed it and refused to let her friend just lounge around when there was work that needed to be done. "Come on. We'll put the sheets on the bed and start unpacking. We'll make it fun."

 _Fun?_ How was unpacking supposed to be fun?

Regardless, the two of them set forth with the task. They pulled out the bedding Jacqueline bought during one of her many trips out here for apartment hunting. She made the bed, shoved pillows into their cases, and smoothed the blanket over the mattress. Then, she walked over to the balcony door and flung it open, allowing the summer breeze in. Another thing she liked about this apartment. She had her own little balcony.

Moving onto the living room, Sharon and Jacqueline tore into the boxes. They started with everything that was labeled as _personal items._ This ranged from photos, movies, clothes, and the record player from Tony. The first thing they did was set up the record player and put on one of the vinyls-a Beach Boys vinyl, one that Tony had gifted to Jacqueline for her birthday.

Now that they had music going, they descended into a routine, emptying one box after the other. They placed the newly bought dishes into their cabinets, and Jacqueline stashed her clothes into the drawers. By the time 6:30 rolled around, the entire apartment was littered with empty boxes. The family photos were placed strategically around the living room. And there was Jacqueline and Sharon, lounging on the sofa with pizza and soda on the table, and _Simon & Garfunkel_ playing on the record player.

Sharon took a bite out of a pizza slice and casually glanced around the room. "I say we did a good job."

"Except for all the boxes." Jacqueline pointed at the discarded boxes around them. "I'm gonna have to take those out in the morning." She groaned at the thought of carrying all of them down.

"You're halfway settled in. That's something to be happy about." Sharon picked up her glass and held it out to Jacqueline. The latter did the same and clinked their glasses together.

"What are your plans for tomorrow?" Sharon asked as she picked off the pepperoni slices and popped them into her mouth.

"I was planning on visiting Peggy," Jacqueline took a drink from her glass, then jumped when a thought popped up. "Does she know that I transferred here?"

"No, not yet. I thought you could go and surprise her. I know she'll love that."

Jacqueline reoriented herself, with her back against the armrest and her legs across Sharon's lap, which the latter could only cast a quick look in her direction. "I need to be in at work by the end of this week, I'm hoping I'll have most of this done by then."

"I hear that Alex will be transferring here too."

"Mhm." Jacqueline munched on the pizza crust. "He should be coming down here within the next month or so."

Sharon raised an eyebrow. "Well, I love housewarmings so this should be fun."

Their conversation was interrupted by an incoming call on Jacqueline's cell. She reached for her phone and saw that Tony was trying to facetime her. "What the hell?" She whispered before answering the call. She held the phone in front of her face, prompting Tony to flash a huge smile.

" _Hi!"_

Taking a bite out of the crust, she chewed for a few moments, before finally saying, "what's with the random facetime?"

The smile on Tony's face vanished, which was followed by an exaggerated eye roll. _"Seriously, am I not allowed to just call and check up on you, especially after you moved to a different state?"_

"Calling is fine," she answered. "But the facetime is so random."

 _"I've face timed you plenty of times. Besides, how else are you supposed to show me your new little chateau?"  
_

Jacqueline scoffed. "Calling it a chateau is an overstatement." She switched the camera's view and showed all of the empty boxes strewn across the floor. Plus Sharon, who gave a quick wave to Tony through the camera. "The place looks like the physical personification of chaos."

 _"Yeah, you're right. Why don't you just take those boxes out?"  
_

She turned the camera back on her, "because I just spent the whole day unpacking and I just want to relax." She quickly wiped the side of her mouth to rid of the sauce stain she noticed in the camera. "What are you doing?"

 _"I'm working on the layouts for the renovations."_ He pointed the phone to the digital layout on his desk. _"I got each floor planned out for every member. Just need to build it all and get it all furnished."_

She took a moment to eye each layout as Tony skimmed through floor plans. "I'm glad you're making good progress with the place."

Tony pushed the digital plans away and turned the camera back on him. _"Also, I meant to ask, how big of a party should I throw for Cap's surprise birthday party?"_

"What, Tony, no." She had to refrain herself from laughing at the look on his face. "Why don't you just ask him yourself?"

" _Have you forgotten what the word surprise means? That would just ruin the entire meaning."_

"I don't know." Jacqueline rubbed at her eyes, a sudden wave of exhaustion overtook her. Sharon tapped at her legs, signaling for Jacqueline to move. When she did, Sharon stood up and went to look through Jacqueline's DVD collection. "Maybe he doesn't want a big party, you ever thought of that?"

" _Any chance I have to throw any party, I'm gonna take it."_

She rolled her eyes. "Of course you are. My advice, if you're serious about it, don't go overboard"

" _You gonna make it down here?"_

"Probably not. I got my apartment to straighten out, plus I'm due in for work by the end of the week. I'll just...send him a birthday text or something." Jacqueline then slapped her hand against her forehead and groaned. "I have no idea what to get him for a gift."

" _I'll get him a gift from both of us."_

"That's such a cop-out."

Tony shrugged. _"Sue me. Well, I'm gonna let you go, got a lot to figure out with the final renovations."_

"Okay, I'll talk to you later." Jacqueline ended the call and placed her phone down on the table. She pressed her hands to her eyes and took in a deep breath. _What should I get for Steve's birthday?_ She could just text and ask him. But he would probably tell her that she didn't have to worry about it. No, he got her a thoughtful gift, she had to do _something_ for him.

"Hey," Sharon turned from the pile to look at Jacqueline, a DVD in her hand, "how do you feel about Ferris Bueller?"

* * *

The morning started early the next day. The first task was to fold up all the empty boxes and take them down to recycling. After the chore was done, Jacqueline went to work with making breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. A very simple breakfast. And while eating her breakfast, she responded to the few texts she had received yesterday. Mostly the ones she had received after landing at the airport.

After finishing breakfast, she took a quick shower then got dressed and headed out the door. The first thing on her list was to go grocery shopping, one of her least favorite things to do. But her kitchen was barely stocked and food was a necessity for survival. So, yeah, grocery shopping was a must. She went home to put the food away, then was out the door again. This time, Jacqueline headed to a small florist a couple of blocks from her apartment. She purchased a bouquet of roses and carnations and began the walk to her next destination.

She mentally added that she needed to start car shopping within the next few days. Just another thing to throw money at.

When she arrived at the cemetery, Jacqueline glanced up at the sign as she walked through the entrance. _Congressional Cemetery._ She kept her eyes forward, not daring to look at each tombstone she passed. It was a morbid thought, knowing that she was walking among hundreds of corpses.

Finally, she came upon a tombstone that was resting under a huge tree. The names etched into the marble brought back that familiar sense of grief. _Joseph Patrick Harris & Jacqueline Adelaide Harris. _

She stepped forward, kissed her hand and rested it, briefly, against the tombstone. Then, she knelt down, her hands fumbling with the bouquet in her hand. Finally, she placed the flowers in the vase holder. "Brought you both some fresh flowers," she leaned back onto her heels, then rested her arms on top of her knees.

It had been over ten years since she and her family last visited this grave. Her mother would make up for it by sending flowers on the anniversary of each of their passing. Jacqueline recalled the several times she and her parents would come out here. They would always come with a bouquet of roses and carnations, and her mother would talk to them. Even as a child, this perplexed her. However, as she grew older, she understood why her mother did it. It was a way to comfort herself. While her parents weren't overtly religious, her parents did have some form of faith. Kathleen instilled to Jacqueline at a young age, that her grandparents were always around her. And they would always hear her if she spoke to them.

Her lips stretched into a small smile at the memory. "A lot has happened in the past ten years." She spoke and picked at the growing weeds surrounding the tombstone. "Steve is alive. It was literally the craziest thing ever. No one could have ever expected it. They found him under the ice, thinking he was dead...but he wasn't. You wouldn't believe the buzz around work when they announced he was alive." She winced, her eyes glanced at her grandmother's name. "I wish you both could have been here to see him again, especially you, grandma."

It was a regret that weighed heavily on Addie's shoulders. Steve's sacrifice happened so suddenly, there was barely any time for her and Peggy to process what was occurring. And for the remaining years of her life, Addie carried that with her. She regretted what happened to Steve, that she wasn't able to truly thank him for saving her husband's life… that she wasn't able to save him. Jacqueline clenched her hand into a fist. If only her grandmother were still here, she could have that moment with him. To thank him for what he had done. A chance to see him one more time.

"He's doing okay," she ripped the weeds into little pieces and dropped them on the grass. "I'm sure that wherever you are right now, you're watching over him. And you're looking after him. I promised Peggy that I would help him, so I'm gonna promise you the same thing. I'm gonna make sure he's okay, you don't have to worry."

Jacqueline stood up, kissed her hand and rested it on the tombstone once more, then made her quiet exit from the cemetery.

…

The last time Jacqueline had visited Peggy was well over five years ago. Now, as she stepped into the home, she could feel a sense of nervousness wash over her. It was confusing. Why on earth would she be nervous about seeing Peggy? Perhaps, with her Alzheimer's, she was expecting some sort of complication. With this disease, anything can happen in a short time span. Would her memory be even scanter? The thought made her stomach jolt. She worried too much and she tried her best to settle her anxiety.

She approached the front desk, the woman who was managing it gave Jacqueline a bright smile. "How can I help you?"

"Hi, um, I'm here to visit Margaret Carter."

"Oh, yes," she stood from her chair and turned to one of the nurses behind her. Sharon had called ahead earlier to let them know that she was coming in. The nurses conversed for a short time before the woman turned back to Jacqueline. "She will escort you to her room."

Jacqueline gave her thanks, then followed the nurse down a hall. When they stopped at Peggy's door, a sudden burst of excitement leveled her anxiety. This had been a long time coming. She sucked in a deep breath, raised her hand and knocked on the door.

A faint, soft voice from the other side spoke. "Come in."

Jacqueline opened the door and peeked her head in, spotting Peggy sitting in her lounge chair, looking through her old photo album. "Aunt Peggy?"

Peggy glanced up from her photo album and her entire face lit up when she realized who it was. "Oh, my,"

Jacqueline entered fully, closed the door behind her, and walked towards Peggy who was already standing with her arms open. She engulfed Jacqueline in a tight hug, both of them standing in the peaceful silence for a bit.

"It's so wonderful to see you again," Peggy's hold around Jacqueline tightened, afraid that the minute she let go, Jacqueline would have to leave and she wouldn't see her for another five years.

"I missed you so much," Jacqueline pulled away, upon seeing the vibrant smile on Peggy's face, she returned it. "I'm so sorry for how long it's been."

"Oh, darling, do not apologize," Peggy brushed her thumb across Jacqueline's cheek, mentally noting of how much she's grown in just five years. "You're here now and that's all that matters."

Tears stung her waterline. Jacqueline quickly blinked them away, feeling stupid that she was being reduced to tears. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the album lying open. "Are you going through old photos?" Jacqueline pointed at the thick album resting on Peggy's lounge chair. She pulled up one of the spare chairs and placed the album on her lap and started to skim through the pages.

"Yes," Peggy eased herself back into her chair. "It had been a good amount of time since I last looked through them."

Jacqueline hummed in response and grinned at the photos. There were a few of Peggy and Addie, Peggy with her children and husband, and an all too familiar photo of Peggy holding a three week old Jacqueline.

"Tell me, dear," Peggy gently squeezed Jacqueline's wrist. The agent closed the album, keeping it in her lap. "How long are you here in Washington?"

"Indefinitely, I officially transferred here."

Peggy's eyes lit up and she smiled, "oh, that's wonderful!" She then narrowed her eyes, slightly. "You didn't think to tell me this news?"

Jacqueline gave a sheepish shrug, "I wanted to surprise you. Sharon agreed with me as well."

"Oh, of course, she would," Peggy commented, smiling as she waved off her statement. "Are you happy with transferring here?"

"I mean, yeah," Jacqueline paused when she saw Peggy raise an eyebrow. The agent broke her facade and let out a sigh, "Don't get me wrong, I am so honored that Fury wanted me to transfer here, and I am happy. It just took a lot of thinking on my part."

Peggy moved to take a hold of her hand, offering a gentle smile. "It's because of your father, isn't it?"

Jacqueline nodded. Peggy gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I just didn't want to be far away from him," Jacqueline explained. "I just thought, what if something happens and I can't get there in time?"

"I know," Peggy's words came out as nothing but a whisper. "Did you talk to your parents about the transfer?"

"Yeah, they told me that I should go. And to not worry about them."

"Then you best take their advice. Do you regret coming down here?"

Jacqueline bit down on her lip, thinking about Peggy's question. "No, it's just gonna take me some time to get used to everything down here. But I don't regret it. Besides, it means that I get to be closer to you."

Peggy chuckled. "Well, I'm glad that you moved down here. Although, I have to say that I'm happy to see you are healing from the battle in New York."

 _Wait, what?_ Jacqueline pursed her lips at the look she was receiving from Peggy. Finally, she relented, "who told you?"

"Tony."

Jacqueline hung her head and sighed, _of course, it was Tony._ "It really wasn't that bad, I promise. It was just a minor concussion and some bruised ribs."

Peggy winced and hummed at the thought of Jacqueline being injured. However, the agent was quick to subside Peggy's worry. "Steve got me out of there before it got worse. He saved me."

The mood in the room changed, immediately. Peggy went quiet while smiling fondly at the mention of Steve. "How is he?"

"He's...alright. He has my number and we text back and forth, on and off, throughout the day. The last time I saw him was at the party Tony threw for me and he seemed fine. But it's hard to judge."

Peggy sighed, her heart aching at the thought of him suffering. "It's going to take time. That's all. And I'm glad that he has you to help him." She gently touched Jacqueline's cheek, the latter merely smiled at her optimism.

"I'm trying my best. It's just so weird. My entire life I've only heard stories about him, and now I'm texting Steve Rogers on my phone." She couldn't help but laugh at how odd it sounded still. Steve was born in 1918, he was definitely old enough to be her grandfather. Yet, she's texting him in the 21st century. How weird was that? "I feel like sometimes I don't even know how to talk to him, this whole experience has just been...bizarre."

"You're handling it beautifully, I know it."

Jacqueline nodded, appreciating the optimism and encouragement. Sometimes she didn't feel like she was succeeding in this task. Surely, not every single moment she had with Steve was handled perfectly. She tried her best. That's all she could have done. "I visited grandma and grandpa earlier." She stared down at the album, the image of her grandparents flashed quickly in her mind. "I wish grandma could have been here to see him again."

"Me too, darling." Peggy's voice wavered at the mention of her dear friend. "I know that she would be _so_ proud of you. With how far you've come, and what you're doing with Steve. I am so grateful to you, and I know she is as well."

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello everyone! And welcome to **part two** of Renegades. So we are officially heading into _The Winter Soldier_. Although I will admit that the first few chapters work more as buildups than anything else. But I hope you all still enjoyed this chapter.

Now, two important things:

 **One:** I have gone back and added some new details to chapters in part one. They have to do with Jacqueline's grandmother Addie. If you all want to read them, they are in chapters 2, 3, and 11. This idea came to me very recently and I had to plan it out, which means, there will be a **brand new story** in this series. It is a prequel, set during Captain America: The First Avenger, and it will follow Jackie's grandmother. I'm hoping to have the first chapter published after I update part two with the next chapter. If you would like to know more about Addie, you can head over to the story's blog, which I highly recommend you all to follow (if you can, of course). I post everything relating to this story on that blog.

 **Two:** So far, in regards to the format of Renegades, as of now I will be splitting it up into two stories. Renegades will be The Avengers through The Winter Soldier. Then the second book will be Age of Ultron through Civil War. This could change again, but for now, that's what the plan is.

A review would be much appreciated. Until next time!


	16. Part II: II

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel. Poppy Patel is the creation of susiesamurai who was gracious enough to allow me to mention her oc. You all should check out her story, _Nerve_ , and go leave her some love!

* * *

The Triskelion, Washington D.C.

September 2013

* * *

"I have a new task for you." Fury slid a file across his desk towards her.

Without hesitation, Jacqueline picked up the file and paused when she saw the photo inside. It was Steve. "This is about Rogers, sir?"

"He's transferring here. I spoke with him about two months ago, asking if it was something he would be interested in." Fury cupped his hands behind his back, silently reminiscing on their conversation. "It didn't take long for him to agree."

Another familiar face that would be transferring. "I'm guessing you need me to do something?"

"I want you to head the advancement of his arrival. We already found a convenient, secured apartment for Rogers. I want you to go and make sure everything is in order. I'll be stationing an agent across from him, just to make sure nothing out of sorts happens and he's protected."

Jacqueline skimmed through the transfer file and nodded. "Seems easy enough. When is he coming in?"

"Five days."

"Who's supposed to meet him?"

Fury turned to his chair and eased himself into it. "I had originally planned for Agent Patel to greet Rogers upon his arrival."

Jacqueline raised her brows when Fury went quiet. But she could tell by the look on his face, that the conversation with Patel didn't go as planned. This made the agent grin, despite her attempts to suppress it. "I'm guessing Patel is no longer the choice."

"She was rather adamant that she didn't sign on to just greet someone from a transfer."

Jacqueline snickered and then shook her head. That didn't surprise her at all. "Who else did you have in mind then?"

"I have a few other candidates to choose from," Fury pulled up a digital file on his desk and began to skim through the other listings.

She watched quietly as the other candidates flew past her sight. A few agents she knew very well, a few others she didn't recognize. Her back straightened when she remembered Steve's reaction at the proposition of another agent escorting him to his New York apartment. He had already spent over a week with just her at a cabin, not having that familiarity around unnerved him. She didn't want that to happen again. Jacqueline cleared her throat, "well, sir, if you're fine with it I would be more than willing to greet Rogers upon his arrival."

Fury paused to look at her, "are you sure?"

"Yeah," she shrugged and glanced down at his file. "It's not like I haven't done it before. Yeah, it'll be easy."

He considered her offer, but only for a brief moment, before nodding his head. "Then, you'll greet him upon his arrival. You're dismissed."

Jacqueline nodded and stood, tucked the file under her arm, and exited Fury's office. In the elevator, she skimmed through the file again. Steve's new address was printed at the top of the form, running the address through her mind, Jacqueline concluded that it was only a few blocks from her place. Convenient, also very familiar, his New York apartment was within walking distance from her as well. She raised an eyebrow at the similarity, Fury must have done it on purpose.

When the elevator doors opened, she closed the file and sauntered out into the main lobby. Before leaving for the day, she decided to stop by the lounge. Upon arriving, she spotted Sharon leaning against the counter. "Hey," she greeted the agent.

Sharon nodded in response, then handed a plate with a bagel over to Jacqueline. "Here, I made you a little snack."

She took it, gratefully. "Thanks. Third time skipping lunch this week."

"Same," Sharon responded, then proceeded to take a huge bite out of her bagel. It didn't take long for her to spot the file tucked under Jacqueline's arm. She eyed it for a moment, before asking, "what's with the file?"

"Oh," Jacqueline hummed. "Just a transfer case that Fury wants me to advance."

"Who's transferring?" Sharon inquired, curiously. "I heard that Natasha was coming down here."

"Yeah, she mentioned that to me a couple days ago. Not sure when though. But, that's not the case I've been handed."

"What case?" Alex had snuck into the lounge, without the others even realizing. He scraped some of the cream cheese off of Sharon's bagel, earning a nudge from the agent. "Seriously, what case?" He asked while licking the cream cheese from his finger.

"Okay, we really need to stop calling it case because that's not technically what it is." Jacqueline pulled the file from under her arm and held it up. "It's a transfer, Fury asked me to head the advancement."

Not finding anything in the fridge, Alex reached for a Styrofoam cup and poured himself a cup of coffee. "Who's transferring?"

Jacqueline finished her bagel, and with her mouth still full, she answered, "Steve."

"And you're heading the advancement of his arrival...again?" Alex questioned. He smirked and took a drink from his cup. "It's just like New York all over again."

"Tell me about it." Except this time, Steve didn't have to deal with the shock of waking up in the 21st century. This transfer should be a smooth one. "It won't be bad. It's been a while since I last him, it'll be nice to catch up."

"He'll be able to visit Peggy," Sharon noted.

The thought made Jacqueline smile. Since their stay at the safe house, Steve had brought up the prospect of visiting Peggy. The way his face lit up after finding out she was alive is still such a clear memory for her. Jacqueline had suggested that the visit should wait until _he_ was fully ready. The last thing she wanted to happen was for Steve to push himself too much before he was ready. It was a thought that Peggy shared with her.

"I know he's been wanting to see her."

Sharon nodded. "Whenever he's ready, you can just call ahead. The people at the home know who you are, they'll let him in too."

"Will do." Jacqueline glanced down at her watch, then started to back out of the room. "Okay, well, I have to go make sure that the Captain's home is ready for his arrival."

Sharon pointed a finger at her, licking some cream cheese from her lips. "We still up for burgers tonight?"

"Definitely." Jacqueline held up her hand in acknowledgment. "I'll see you later."

* * *

Five Days Later…

….

The apartment was all set. The last of Steve's belongings arrived and a few personnel took the liberty of carrying it all up to his place. Generous of them, that meant she didn't have to do any heavy work. The only thing she had to do was survey their work, making sure everything was done in an orderly time. With the personnel gone, Jacqueline was left sitting at the entrance of the apartment complex. To pass the time until Steve arrived, she put in her earbuds and relaxed on the steps. The music drowned out the noises around her, creating a barrier between her and the random people who would walk by and cast a few glances her way.

The music was cut short, however, with an incoming facetime call.

She glanced down at the screen and could see Happy fiddling with his phone. She snorted, then answered the call. "Hey, Haps what's with the face time?"

" _I need you to choose a color from these selections."_ He held up a color swatch with about six colors on it.

She shook her head and smiled at the randomness of it all. "Why do you need me to pick a color? Are you renovating your house?"

" _Not my house, the tower."_

"Oh, right." Jacqueline leaned back, her elbow rested against the concrete step. "How's that going by the way? When I spoke with Tony back in June, he said that he was still dealing with the floor plans."

" _Yeah, not anymore. Construction on each floor is still a work in progress, but Tony wants to get the color schemes picked out."_

She narrowed her eyes at seeing all of the workers as Happy passed them. "Okay, but I still don't know why I need to pick out a color?"

" _It's for your floor."_

Jacqueline's attention piqued. She stared into the camera, her brows raised in a questioning manner. "Why is Tony building me my own floor in the Avengers tower?"

Happy let out a dry chuckle. _"Well, he uh-he just thought, you know, maybe in the near future, you might start working with the group. If you don't I mean it's totally fine. You don't have to be an Avenger to stay at the Avenger's tower, it's your floor, you can stay as long as you want."_

"Haps, you're babbling."

" _Right, yeah, sorry. But you know why."_

Her eyes scanned over the street in front of her, then she sighed. "Yeah, I do." She focused on the screen, seeing Happy was still holding up the color swatches, waiting patiently for her to choose one of them. "Alright, let's go with that dull gray."

Happy glanced down at the color, pointing to the swatch. When she gave her nod of confirmation, he quickly typed out the color on his tablet.

"And, since this is my living quarters, how about we throw in some splashes of blush."

He stared into the camera. _"Blush?"_

"Yeah, blush. It's like a really soft pink. I'm pretty sure that if you google it, you'll find some examples."

Happy nodded, then typed something out on his tablet. _"I might get Pepper to help me with this. But I got it. Thanks, Jackie."_

"No problem, can't wait to see the finished product." She especially couldn't wait to see all of this was going to be put together. Knowing Tony and Happy they would make sure to get it right. Still, it was rather exciting to think what it would all look like in the end.

" _Where are you, by the way?"_ Happy had just now noticed that she was sitting outside of a building, rather unusual.

"I'm sitting outside Cap's new home," she raised a hand, gesturing to the building behind her. "I'm just waiting for him to arrive."

 _"Oh, yeah, Mr. Stark mentioned Cap moving down to D.C., and you just happen to be the one to be there to greet him?"_ He gave a sly smirk, the small insinuation only made Jacqueline roll her eyes.

 _He hangs out with Tony too much._ Jacqueline huffed out a laugh, "yeah, I know. I volunteered on this one actually, so it's not that much of a coincidence. It'll be really nice to see him again."

" _Well, tell Cap that I said hi, and I hope everything goes well for him."_

"Will do, Haps. I'll talk to you later."

The call ended. Jacqueline went to continue with listening to music when a motorcycle came into her view. She glanced up, just in time to see Steve parking his motorcycle in a designated parking space on the side of the road. She pulled out her earbuds and stashed both her phone and earbuds in her pocket. She stood and flashed a huge smile when she saw Steve dismounting his bike.

"Welcome to D.C., Captain." Steve smiled while taking in the view around him. Jacqueline then motioned at the building behind her, "and welcome to your new grand chateau."

He narrowed his eyes, feigning a small amount of doubt. "Is it really that grand?"

She shrugged, looked back at the building, scratched the back of her neck, then turned to him and her smile grew. "I mean I think it's a lot better than the New York apartment."

"Fair enough."

Steve walked onto the sidewalk and towards her. The entire time she debated how she should greet him. Should she shake his hand? No, that was too formal, right? It wasn't like they were meeting for the first time. No, they were friends. Maybe a hug was the right choice… or was that too personal? She didn't have enough time to fully choose one. Steve was right in front of her and she did the first thing that came to mind.

Jacqueline stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a firm hug. For a split second, she panicked, thinking that maybe it wasn't the best choice. However, she felt Steve's arms around her and all of her fear died down. "It's nice to see you."

"You too."

She pulled away and took a step back. He still looked the same. _Of course, he does Lewis. It's only been five months since you last saw him_. "Was the ride down here okay?"

"Yeah, it was actually kind of nice."

"Good." She pulled out the keys to his apartment, dangling them in front of him, she said, "shall we go and check out your new place?" She dropped the keys into his hand then led the way into the building. "The personnel already got all of your belongings to the apartment," Jacqueline explained as she and Steve made their way up the main staircase. "They also gave you the apartment at the top level, that way you don't have to worry about people keeping you up."

"Have you been having that issue at your place?"

"Not really. Everyone around here is pretty calm and chill about everything." At the end of the hallway was Steve's door. She stepped to the side, motioning for Steve to go first, "after you."

Steve gave a small smirk, then stepped forward to the apartment door. He jingled the keys in his hand for a few seconds, then unlocked the door. Steve entered the apartment, with Jacqueline trailing behind him. She closed the door and followed him into the main living room. She went around to stand in front of him, mostly to see if he liked the place. He seemed too. There was a rather content look on his face.

"Like I said, I think it's a lot better than the New York apartment."

"I agree."

Oh good, she was glad that he liked it. "Well, I don't think you need like an in-depth tour. But, you got your kitchen right over there," she pointed to space behind a decorative shelf. She moved to an isolated door down the hallway. "You got your laundry room here," she opened the door to show him. "Then, your bedroom and bathroom down the hallway." She finished by pointing behind her. "Oh, and this beauty right here," Jacqueline smiled excitedly and patted her hand against a record player. "Tony helped me find this, I kinda figured it would be a nice little touch to this place, make it a little familiar. You don't have any records here so we'll definitely have to go out and get you some." She stood in place, watching Steve admire his surroundings. "You like the place?"

He nodded. "It's a lot more spacious than the previous one."

"It's one of the perks to this particular complex." Fury did a good job of choosing this place. "Well, listen, I know that you probably planned on settling in but I thought maybe after we could go out and do something. Maybe get something to eat and go look for some records."

He didn't have anything planned. "Sounds good to me."

Jacqueline placed her phone and earbuds on Steve's couch and the two of them got to work. There were only a few boxes that needed to be unpacked, he didn't really have that much, to begin with. And he hasn't done that much accumulating since waking up. Jacqueline spotted this right away. She opened a box that contained his clothes, mentally noting how little he has in this department. _Need to add clothes shopping to the list._

She pushed the box towards him, feeling like rummaging through his clothes was a little too personal for her taste. Steve took the box to his bedroom to stash his clothes away in the dresser. In the meantime, Jacqueline occupied herself with another box, it was bigger than the rest in the apartment. Made sense when she saw books inside. She pulled them out, bunches at a time and placed them on the floor next to her. The last remaining contents were the sketchbooks she had gifted him during their stay at the safe house. Curiosity got the best of her. She flipped through the pages, eyebrows raising at the fact he already completely filled one of them. It shouldn't be that surprising. He's had these sketchbooks for about five months now, he was bound to fill them at some point.

Steve folded up the empty box and made his way back to the main room. He paused at seeing Jacqueline skimming through his sketchbook. She glanced up at him, an apologetic smile crossed her face. "It's okay." He assured her.

"You managed to fill in one of the books," she lifted the sketchbook up and smiled approvingly.

"The other one is almost half full." He said as he pointed to the other sketchbook.

The agent picked up the other sketchbook and, sure enough, he was right. Each page was filled with sketches, there were no empty blanks to be seen. "These are great. We'll have to get you some more while we're out."

They finished the unpacking and placed everything where it needed to be. By the time they were done, it was around _3:30._ Jacqueline suggested that they take the empty boxes out of here and go get something to eat. They folded the boxes as small as they could and got ready to leave. As she prepared to leave, Jacqueline realized that she couldn't find her earbuds and began to search around Steve's living room. Strange. She had them on the couch.

Steve, who already had a few folded boxes tucked underneath his arms, watched her with curious eyes. "What are you looking for?"

"My earbuds."

"Do you want me to help you look?"

She brushed her hair back and blew out a breath, then waved off his offer. "No, it's okay. You can go ahead and take those boxes down, I'll be there in a minute."

"Okay, then could you lock up?"

She nodded. Steve tossed the keys to her, watched her stash them in her pocket before resuming her search. Steve opened the door and stepped into the hallway, and a bit away from him, there was a young woman, sporting a mess of blonde curls, and holding a laundry basket that was overflowing with clothes. A single t-shirt was hanging out the side of the basket, just as it slid out Steve hurried over and caught it before it could reach the floor.

"Oh, thank you." The young woman breathed out her gratitude and smiled as she took the shirt from him. "This is what happens when I get behind on laundry."

"Been there a few times myself." Steve offered.

She smiled and gave a small laugh. However, she was looking at Steve with intense curiosity. "I'm sorry," she quickly apologized for how she had just been starting. "But, I don't think I've ever seen you around here before."

"Oh, I'm Steve I just moved in here today."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Steve. I'm Kate," she extended a hand out to him, which he took giving it a firm shake. "So, you're the reason why all those movers were here earlier."

He gave a small grimace, "I hope it wasn't a nuisance."

Kate smiled and waved off his statement. "Of course not. Trust me, I understand the hustle that goes with moving to a new place." The door to his apartment was still open and a small movement caught her attention. Kate glanced behind Steve, noticing a woman moving about, looking for something. Kate nodded towards her, "Is that your girlfriend?"

Steve felt his body give a small jolt at her question. "No, she's just a friend. She's helping me settle into this new place."

"Oh!" Kate's eyes widened at how nonchalant her assumption was. Her eyes downcasted, indicating at how embarrassed she felt. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to just assume-"

"No, it's okay," Steve assured her. No harm was done.

Jacqueline found the earbuds under Steve's couch. She must have accidentally knocked them off while they were unpacking. She stashed them in her pocket, grabbed the boxes, and walked out of the apartment. She immediately paused at seeing Steve talking with...Sharon? Jacqueline quickly closed the door, locked it, then turned to the pair.

Sharon, who had been immersed in her conversation with Steve, turned her attention to Jacqueline and her smile only grew. "Hi!"

Jacqueline went to stand next to Steve and smiled back, "Hi."

"Um, I'm Kate, I live right here actually," she pointed to the door right behind her.

Sharon was the agent that Fury assigned to protect Steve. Jacqueline shook Sharon's hand, making sure to keep her face neutral. "I'm Jackie." Then, she gave Steve a quick nudge in the side. "Look at you, making friends with the neighbors already."

"He saved one of my favorite t-shirts from getting dirty again." She gestured at the full laundry basket, where Jacqueline noticed the shirt-a Fleetwood Mac shirt. It was easy for her to spot that. She's seen Sharon wear that shirt so many times on their off days. Though, Jacqueline was trying her hardest to not give up that she knew it was Sharon. It was all just too amusing for her.

"So, where are you moving here from?" Kate directed her question to Steve.

"New York."

Her eyes widened in surprise, but Jacqueline had to bit down on her lip from smiling. "Is it job-related?"

Steve glanced over at Jacqueline, briefly, before saying, "Yeah, you could say that."

"Do you two work together?" Kate gestured between the two people in front of her, her eyebrow-raising in a curious manner.

"Yes. We both do government work." Jacqueline answered, giving the most basic answer that came to mind.

"Oh, interesting."

"You're a nurse, right?" Steve furrowed his brows at Jacqueline's question. She nodded at the laundry basket, "I just noticed you have scrubs in there."

Kate, who appeared quite surprised by Jacqueline's question, glanced down and laughed at herself. "Oh yes, I work down at the Georgetown University Hospital."

Jacqueline nodded approvingly and turned to Steve. "Well, it's good to know that if you have a medical emergency, Kate can help you out."

"Let's hope it won't be anything too serious though," she responded, easily. "Anyway, I better go put all this laundry away. But it was nice talking to you both."

"You too."

Kate unlocked the door to her apartment and stepped inside, she shared one more smile with them before closing the door. Jacqueline and Steve went on their way. As they descended the staircase, Jacqueline pulled out her phone and quickly typed out a message to Sharon.

 _Nice meeting you, KATE. You really didn't think to let me know?_

It was a short beat before her phone buzzed with a reply.

 _Thought it would be a nice surprise! Have fun with the Captain._

Jacqueline rolled her eyes and stashed the phone back into her pocket, content with the prospect of confronting her friend later.

Steve had asked if she wanted to take his bike, she declined, suggesting that they just walk. All of the places she wanted to take him were within walking distance. He didn't object. He only followed her. Their first stop, a local sandwich shop that was very close to the bustle of downtown. On the way, however, they passed the cemetery. When she glanced over at the entrance, she said, without even thinking about it, "that's where my grandparents are buried."

The words forced Steve to a halt. He looked to where she had pointed to and felt a sense of dread that numbed him to his core.

She cringed, realizing the immediate dip in mood. _Seriously, Lewis. What made you think that bringing this up_ _would be a good idea?_ She chewed at her bottom lip for a moment, watching silently as Steve stared at the cemetery. "Did you want to go in?"

Dumb question.

Steve jolted at her words, finally breaking the long glance he was keeping. Did he want to go in? It wasn't like he didn't know that Addie had passed away. But, it's one thing to know this than to visit her actual grave. He cleared his throat, fumbling over what to say. "I don't-"

"You know what, don't worry about it." Jacqueline made the decision for him, something that he was rather grateful for. "We can do this some other time, I'm sorry." She laughed at her own stupidity. "I didn't mean to bring down the mood. Come on, let's go." Jacqueline took a gentle hold of Steve's arm and led him away from the cemetery.

The sandwich shop was a little packed, though it certainly wasn't the dinner rush. After ordering their food, Jacqueline picked a booth near the window. A worker came to drop off their food. "You've been here before?" Steve asked, his stomach rumbled as he looked at the food in front of him. He had not realized how hungry he was until now.

"Yeah. I have a friend who lives down here and she took me to this place a couple days after moving in." Jacqueline pursed her lips together. It was Sharon who took her here. She sighed at the fact she would need to keep up Sharon's cover. But for how long? Fury had Sharon put on this case to make sure that Steve was protected...and to ensure it would get back to him if Steve became a threat to SHIELD.

"How do you like working down here so far?"

"It's fine." She shrugged before taking a bite out of her sandwich. "Different city, different people. Nice views. The workload is the same, but it is a little different. I guess it's still a little crazy that I finally got here."

Steve nodded. He remembered the doubt that she felt with the transfer. With not wanting to be far away from her father, she had debated on just staying in New York. He was actually quite happy when she told him that she agreed to the transfer. It's what she's wanted for so long. "You like living down here though?"

"Yeah, it's pretty nice. I like my new apartment." The apartment was the biggest upgrade she could have received. While her New York apartment wasn't _bad,_ the place she had now was just so much better. "Plus, I get to visit Peggy whenever I want."

The mood shifted but not as drastically as she had thought. Steve glanced down at his food, his appetite briefly forgotten. "How is she doing?"

Jacqueline could only smile, understanding that Peggy was a bittersweet subject for Steve. "I saw her a couple of days ago and she's doing good. She is looking forward to seeing you again."

He looked back at her and shook his head, "I can't keep putting it off."

She opened and closed her mouth several times, wondering what was the best thing to tell him at this point. "She understands." Jacqueline bit her lip upon seeing his eyes downcast again. "Her and I have talked about it multiple times, she doesn't you to push yourself. You should go see her when the time is right for you."

He remained silent, his attention focused on looking out the window as he pondered over her words. "Will you go with me?" He asked.

She felt a pang of empathy upon hearing Steve's question. He sounded so unsure, so lost. "If you want me to. If you do, then I'm more than willing to go. If you want to go by yourself, I'll call the home the day before, let them know you'll be there." He only nodded. "You nervous about seeing her?"

Nervous was a huge understatement. "You could say that. I feel like I don't know what I'm going to say to her."

She smiled, sadly. "Don't think too hard on it. You're still Steve and she's still Peggy. Yeah...a lot of time has passed, but it's really not all that different. She'll be happy just to see you again." The more she thought about it, maybe it was a good idea if she went with him. Seeing Steve after all this time would make Peggy incredibly happy. Yet, it could also upset her. With Jacqueline being there, she could to diffuse Peggy's reaction. "So, how were your last few days in New York?" Jacqueline decided to switch the topic.

Steve went along with it. He hummed at her question. "Busy. Tony was rather adamant about putting together a going away party for me, much like what he did for you before you left."

"Oh, really." She smirked to herself. "Did you manage to talk him out of it?"

Steve gave a long sigh and rolled his eyes. "It took a couple of tries but I eventually got through to him. He already threw me _that_ birthday party, I didn't feel like going through another one."

Ah, yes. Steve's birthday party. The party that she was unable to attend due to work. However, Tony did facetime her while the party was still going. Natasha was there, along with Clint and Bruce, and a whole bunch of other people she didn't recognize. She was able to talk with Steve through facetime for a few minutes, poor guy looked so out of place. When she texted him the next day, despite his reluctance about the whole thing, he still had a good time. "I'm proud of you though," she said, laughing at the look he gave her. "Hey, you managed to survive your first big party thrown by a Stark. That's a huge accomplishment."

He didn't seem that sure about it. "Really?"

"Yeah, trust me. For my 21st birthday, Tony threw me a _massive_ party. I mean he went all in because it was legal for me to drink. And I got _so_ wasted. Tony hasn't let me live it down...I don't think he ever will." For years, Tony had always professed that he would throw her a massive party for her 21st. Something that both her parents were a little split on. However, by the time her 21st came around, Jacqueline had already been enrolled in the ops academy and had completely forgotten about Tony's promise. She had received a text from him that day, saying that he was expecting her at his place for the celebration. It was beyond anything she was expecting. A live DJ, great food, and of course, only the best alcohol. Bits of that night are nothing more than a blur for Jacqueline, but she has Tony, Sharon, Alex, and Gabby to remind her of all the stupidity she took part in that night.

A part of him wished that he could have been there. There was a lot he missed out on. "Sounds like you still had fun though."

"Oh, I did." If she did everything her friends have told her about, then it was definite that she had the time of her life. "I was only about a year into the ops academy. Tony planned it perfectly on one of the rare days I had off." She snickered at a memory that popped up. "Peggy actually called me that night to wish me a happy birthday, unfortunately, it was when I was wasted. I'm a terrible drunk. I could barely hold a decent conversation with her over the phone."

Steve laughed. He could only imagine what Peggy's reaction was. "How did she handle talking to a drunk you?"

"I honestly don't even remember the conversation I had with her." Jacqueline took a sip from her drink, trying to remember what was said during that brief phone conversation. "I do remember that I gave the phone over to Tony at one point, and I think she gave him a few choice words. Probably told him to make sure I didn't get too out of hand. But it was a fun night. Tony gave me waffles the next morning to help with my terrible hangover."

"Very considerate. Did it help at all?"

"Not really." She grimaced. Just talking about the hangover was starting to bring on a headache. "I was incredibly lucky that I didn't have to return to the academy the day after. I spent that entire day laid up in bed." She hesitated before asking, "Did you ever have any moments like that?"

"Way back?" Steve asked the faint hint of a smirk brightened his face. "No, nothing to that extent at least. Most of the time, I would frequent a small cafe not that far from where I lived. Then, Bucky would find me and give me a last minute plan that he conjured up on his walk there."

"Reminds me of Gabby." She added, thoughtfully. "Especially on days when I just wanna be lazy, that's when she nags at me the most. But she's like a sister to me, so I tolerate it. Sometimes I don't know why I do but I guess when you're an only child you tend to make your own family with the people you surround yourself with. So, you're willing to tolerate almost anything."

"I know what you mean. You can have people you're so close to, yet there are times when you feel like it's just you against everything else."

"Yeah,"

It was a commonality they both shared. They were an only child within their respective families, who had others to fill in the other gaps in their lives. Jacqueline had Tony and Sharon as her brother and sister, while Steve had his mother and Bucky. They both held deep, genuine bonds with these individuals, considering them their family. Yet, even then, it was often a lonely childhood for both of them. Steve had to combat his many illnesses, which often left him bedridden. And Jacqueline had to deal with both her parents being gone for weeks or months on end-which happened a couple of times. Despite having others they were close with, it was hard _not_ to feel so alone. As if the loneliness would swallow them both whole.

But, it wasn't so bad anymore. At least, not for Jacqueline. She still had everyone around her, supporting her. Steve was very much on his own. Other than Peggy, everyone else in his life was gone. It was a painful, nagging thought he's tried so hard to push past. Despite how it made him feel, Steve wasn't alone. They may not be the same familiar faces he's known, but he was starting to solidify his bond with the Avengers...and with Jacqueline. It all wasn't _so_ bad.

They finished the food in good time and it was very delicious. Steve didn't leave a crumb behind, further proving how hungry he had been. This was a joint he was going to frequent a lot more now. They discarded their trash and left the shop. Their first stop, a little record venue that was about a five-minute walk from the restaurant. Jacqueline smiled excitedly at Steve, prompting his own excitement to flourish. It was rather infectious, her positivity always easily rubbed off onto him. He supposed it was a good thing, rather than walking around, simmering in his own endless loop of despair.

The store was small and quint. Endless shelves of vinyl lined the floor and walls. One of the workers greeted them with a small wave and there were others at different points of the shop, browsing through the massive collection. Jacqueline turned to Steve, the smile still evident on her face. "Okay, you look around for some you might like and I'll look for some as well."

With that, they split in opposite directions. Steve was attracted towards a section that housed much older music. He had moved on from 40's tunes and was venturing more into 50's and 60's. The playlist Jacqueline made for him, helped with that. He skimmed through the selections, ending up settling for The Temptations, and The Miracles. When Steve joined Jacqueline, she had already a few vinyls tucked underneath her arm.

"I found you some good ones," she smiled and proceeded to show him each record. "You've got _Pet Sounds_ by The Beach Boys, which is honestly like quintessential 60's wrapped up in one vinyl. Then, you've got Elton John's _Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,"_

"Wizard of Oz reference."

She smiled. "This is his best album, at least, everyone seems to think that. He has _so_ many albums you need to listen to, but we'll start with this one. Then, of course," she pulled out the last vinyl, "we have the greatest hits of Simon and Garfunkel because honestly, everyone needs some Simon and Garfunkel in their life, which ones did you pick out?"

Steve showed her the records he picked out and she nodded in approval. "Nice choices." She said, then took the records to add to the pile in her arms. "I didn't get to do anything for you for your birthday, so these are my gifts to you." She answered upon seeing the confused look on his face.

"You don't have to, Jacks."

She shrugged. "I want to, as I said, it's to make up for me not being there for that extravagant birthday party." Steve went to make an argument against it, but she beat him to the punch. "Come on let's go look around more."

They browsed through the collections for about an hour. Soon, they had gathered a decent amount of records. Steve insisted many times that she didn't need to pay for them. Jacqueline brushed him off every time. She was rather adamant and incredibly stubborn. The records were purchased and they left the record shop, heading further into the shopping area. Next thing on the list, clothes shopping. Jacqueline glanced up at the store signs until she spotted a store that _should_ sell clothes that would suit him. She grabbed Steve with her free hand and dragged him into the store.

"Why are we here?" He asked, glancing around the store, a little confused.

"I thought that we could revamp your wardrobe." She paused at a clothing rack and began to sort through the selections. When she glanced up at him, she flashed a tight smile. "I mean I saw that you didn't have that many clothes. So I thought we could look around for a new fresh look."

Steve took a quick glance over his outfit, his brow knitted in thought. "You think this doesn't work?"

She was caught off guard at first. Her mouth fell agape, thinking that somehow she had offended him in some way. "Oh, no, I mean it does, it works. It's just nice to have a bigger selection to choose from, you know?"

"Yeah."

Jacqueline pulled out a few jackets from the rack, held them up to show him. He considered them and then nodded his head. At least he was going along with it. "Oh, what's your size?" She bit down on her lip, feeling a little awkward with asking that.

"Oh, I um," Steve shrugged off the jacket he was wearing, allowing for Jacqueline to check the sizing.

"Okay," she searched through the rack for the right sizes, then folded the jackets over her arm as she continued her search. Garment after garment, she would show them to Steve who would give an indication of whether he like it or not. He liked most of what she had pulled out, helping her to spot a pattern in what he likes; simple color schemes, plain t-shirts, and dark jeans. And he really liked jackets, that was very apparent to her. After gathering a good amount, they ended up at the fitting rooms, both with arms full of clothes. One of the workers, who eyed the amount of clothing they were carrying, quickly offered a room for Steve to use.

"What's the limit to how many he can take in?" Jacqueline asked.

The young woman merely smiled. "He can just take it all in."

"Oh, okay, thank you." Jacqueline turned to Steve, dumped the clothes she had into his arms, then gestured to the fitting room. "Let's get this show on the road."

She couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Steve entering the fitting room, arms full of clothes, looking a little lost and unsure of it all. She really shouldn't be laughing at this poor guy, since she was the one who dragged him out here, but it was just the reality of it all. How many people can say they took Steve Rogers shopping? Not many. This event was certainly going to the top of her list of amusing things she's done. She sat on a bench, the bag records they had purchased sitting next to her.

After about five minutes, Steve stepped out, donned in a dark blue jacket and a pair of dark wash jeans. He stood before her, a little awkward in his posture, waiting to hear her thoughts. However, she said nothing at first. All she could do was stare at him. It was definitely different seeing him in these clothes. However, the staring just made him incredibly nervous.

He glanced down at the outfit, then back to her, his hands nervously fumbled with the jacket. "Does it not _look_ good?"

Steve's question brought her back to reality. "Oh, no, it's looks great! Yeah, it looks really good," -he looks _really_ good in them. She cleared her throat then approached him and began to adjust the collar of his jacket. "The important thing is; one, is it comfortable? And two, do you like it?"

He was distracted. He almost completely missed what she had said. The feeling of her hands messing with the jacket, fixing the collar, the faint smile that appeared as she admired the outfit, and how _close_ she was. He swallowed and cleared his throat. "Y-yeah, yeah I like it."

She nodded quietly, her smile widening. "Is it comfortable?"

He shook his head, laughing at himself. "It is."

"Good. One outfit down, a lot more to go."

The next hour consisted of a continuous rotation. Steve would walk out in a new outfit and say whether it was a go or a pass. It was quite amusing. At first, Steve didn't quite know how to handle himself. It was rare when Steve went in to purchase new clothes. When Sarah managed to save up enough money, she would treat Steve to a new jacket, or a new pair of shoes. It was never to this extent though. He had the money-which SHIELD had generously given to him when he woke up-to pay for things like this. Then, to have Jacqueline here with him, to help with the process. For a split second, he felt like a young kid back in Brooklyn, brewing with the excitement of being able to purchase something new.

She never said anything on the matter, of how hesitant he looked at first. She tried to break whatever was making him tense. A lot of jokes on her end, trying to lighten the mood. It seemed to work. By his fourth outfit, Steve seemed a lot calmer, more comfortable with the process, even starting to use the full-length mirror to see how he looked in it. She just wanted him to be comfortable. At one point, she thought that she might have spurred all of this onto him a little too quickly. He never said anything that validated this feeling.

By the time they were finished, it was past six. The only thing they wanted to do was purchase the clothes and get more food. Trying on clothes really works up an appetite. Steve waved off Jacqueline's offer to buy the clothes, however, since she _was_ the one who dragged him clothes shopping she continued to insist. After much negotiation, she ended up buying the three jackets he picked out; the dark blue zip up, a grey bomber jacket, and a leather jacket-which was her favorite of the three.

When they left the shop, the sidewalks and streets were crowded. People were off work and scurrying around to get some last minute errands done. With both of their arms full of bags, they pushed their way through the crowds with Jacqueline leading the way. _We should have taken my car,_ she thought to herself upon seeing how many more people they would have to walk through. Though, as she glanced around, nearly all of the parking spaces were taken. Not to mention traffic would have been absolute hell. Regardless, they trudged forward.

Her hands began to ache from carrying the bags, but she saw the familiar building. "Finally." Jacqueline breathed out once they arrived at Steve's complex. She made for the elevator but saw Steve using the stairs. Taking a deep breath, she decided to follow after him. She was definitely getting a workout today. When she made it to his floor, Steve was waiting for her outside his door.

"Do you have my keys still?"

Jacqueline paused then groaned. "Shit, yeah hold on." She moved all the bags to one hand and used her free one to pull out the keys from her pocket, then tossed them to him. "Home sweet home." She commented as they entered the apartment.

Setting the bags down on the couch, Jacqueline massaged her hands to alleviate the ache from holding all those bags for so long. "I think we gathered a pretty good haul today." She said after doing a quick look over all the bags.

Steve surveyed what they had purchased and nodded. "Yeah, we did."

"Also, sorry about just dragging you out like that, I should've told you exactly what we were doing today." The image of Steve coming in and out of that fitting room was still playing over in her head. She felt like she owed him some kind of apology.

"No," Steve shook his head. "It's fine. It was a lot better than just sitting here all day."

"Oh," she glanced around the room and smiled. "Well, good. I'm glad it was worth your while." She pulled out her phone to check the time, _7:30._ There wasn't anything else she had planned for them to do. Besides, their little venture into downtown pretty much took up the whole day. "Well, if you want, maybe I can order us a pizza and then we can sort through all of this."

Her proposition made Steve jolt, but not from surprise or shock. Rather, it was excitement. "You don't have to stay here and do all of that." Still, he had no idea what she had to relay anything back to Fury, or if she had to get to headquarters for anything.

She pressed a hand to her chest, "I'm the one who dragged you out there so it's the least I can do. Besides, it's only 7:30, I'm in no rush to get home."

Steve nodded. He wouldn't have said it, but he was relieved. He was in a new state, _another_ new apartment, and the only person he knew here was Jacqueline. It was nice having a familiar face here, to keep him distracted, prevent him from spiraling down an endless hole of painful nostalgia. "I appreciate that."

She took that as her cue. Jacqueline went to make the call to order the food, while Steve skimmed through the many records they had purchased earlier, he was keen on getting some music going. He ended up settling for _Goodbye Yellow Brick Road._

As the music began to occupy the space, Jacqueline finished with ordering food and the two of them go to work with sorting through their haul.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yes! Hello! Again, I am so sorry for how long this took to get up, but I hope it was all worth it! The next chapter is the visit with Peggy so hope you all are excited about that. Also, just to let you know, the prequel story that follows Jacqueline's grandmother has been published, it's called **Indignation**. I actually posted it back in July, oops! So if you all would like, go and take a look!

A review would be much appreciated.


	17. Part II: III

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel. I DO own all original characters**

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The home where Peggy was currently residing in was nestled in a quiet residential area about thirty minutes outside the bustle of downtown. And it appeared to be a rather ideal location. A series of businesses surrounded the home, but nothing that would be a nuisance to the occupants who called this place home.

The building itself was ornate in its structure with its pristine white bricks and marble columns on either side of the entrance. It was a nice building, which brought some form of comfort to Steve about Peggy residing here. The inside was neat and clean, which was a plus. Nurses walked by them, each of them offered him a smile, which he would answer with his own. The staff seemed very friendly, another plus for him. He stood behind Jacqueline as she spoke with the nurse at the front desk, telling her that they were visiting Peggy.

He watched the nurse converse with one of the other nurses, then the exchange was over and they were being led to Peggy's room. With each step, his heart pounded faster, harder. His mind rattled with what he would say to her. How should he approach her? It was completely nerve-wracking and before he knew it, they were standing outside of Peggy's door.

"How has she been today?" Jacqueline asked the nurse, bringing Steve back to the present.

The nurse sighed, "today hasn't been her best day, she's been resting in her bed for most of it." Jacqueline could only nod, trying her best to hide the disappointment she felt. "You both can sit with her for a few hours, then she needs to rest more."

"Thank you." Jacqueline gave the nurse a small smile. Once she was gone, Jacqueline turned to Steve, his wide eyes stared down at her, it took her off guard. "Are you okay?"

Steve's mouth suddenly went dry, his eyes moved to the door. Just behind that door was someone who had meant so much to him-who still means so much to him. Despite what Jacqueline said to him, there were seventy years that transpired between him and Peggy. She moved on, got married and had children, worked in S.H.I.E.L.D. for nearly forty years, established a reputation for herself, and raised her family. She got to do so much, and he was stuck, not able to move forward with the time. Things were different. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he wasn't the same and neither was Peggy.

Jacqueline took a step forward, her hand took a gentle hold of his arm. "Hey," she coaxed Steve out of his trance, her teeth dragged across her bottom lip, completely worried about the way he was behaving. "It's okay," she said, trying to lessen the anxiousness that he was feeling. "If you think that now isn't the best time, we can do this another day."

He glanced down at her hand on his arm, feeling the reassuring squeeze that came soon after. It instilled a small drive of courage through him. "No, it's time."

She nodded quietly. "Okay, just take a deep breath." She breathed in, signaling for him to do the same. Steve followed suit, inhaling and then exhaling, feeling a small amount of his anxiety melt away. "It's going to be okay." She said, before turning to the door.

His arm went cold the minute her hand left, and Steve found himself almost missing the feel of her hand on his arm. He absentmindedly rubbed at the spot her hand had just been, hoping to keep himself calm and leveled.

Jacqueline knocked on the door, waited until she heard Peggy's voice, then stepped into the room. "Aunt Peggy." Peggy was propped up in her bed, a book sitting in her lap, and while her eyes looked tired, Peggy's features lit up when she smiled. Jacqueline smiled back and walked over to the bed, where Peggy was waiting with her arms open.

"Hello, darling," Peggy said as she enveloped Jacqueline in an embrace.

"How are you feeling?" Jacqueline asked.

"Oh, I'm well."

Steve felt his heart pound upon hearing Peggy's voice, and as he stepped through the open doorway, he was left speechless at the sight of her. She still looked the same. Her hair was a mess of curls, no longer brown but grey. Still, it didn't take away her beauty.

Jacqueline pulled away and sat down on the side of Peggy's bed, her hand entwined with hers. Steve stood at the foot of Peggy's bed, his eyes were wide and lips slightly parted. There was so much he could say, I'm sorry, I missed you so much.

Peggy stared at him, her smile only grew the longer she looked at him. "Steve," his name slipped past her lips so easily. It still held the same weight. "I'm so happy you're here."

Steve exhaled, overwhelmed by what was playing out before him. "Hi, Peggy."

Peggy raised her free arm out to him, motioning him to come closer. When he did, Peggy took hold of his hand, pulled him towards her, and wrapped her arm around him in a bone crushing hug. For both, it was a bittersweet moment. To Steve, it had only been a few months since he last felt Peggy's touch, for her it had been nearly seventy years.

Steve pulled away, her smile still present as she pressed her hand against his cheek, her eyes taking in every bit of his features. "It's been so long, Steve," Peggy said, her eyes filling with tears. "We had hoped you would come back, we tried to find you." Howard had tried so hard to find Steve after the crash. While his chances of survival were slim at best, it didn't stop Peggy and others from having hope. Even if he wasn't alive when they found him, at least they would have been able to give him a proper burial. But that never happened. Peggy was the last of them to give up hope. First, it was Howard, there was always a part of him that wished he had worked harder to find him. Then it was Addie, who slowly lost the hope. And it only caused her more heartache at seeing Peggy hold onto it. When Peggy did leave him behind, it was one of the most painful things she's had to do.

Now, here he was. All that hope they had at the beginning wasn't for nothing. Their hope had a purpose, even though it took seventy years for it to come true and Peggy was the only one able to see it.

Steve could feel his heartbreak. He knew about the searches that Howard conducted to recover his body. And he couldn't imagine the pain they all felt when they never found him. "I know, I'm sorry, Peggy. I'm so sorry."

She moved to take his hand, keeping him close to her, fearing that if she didn't she would lose him again. "We always talked about you, as if you had never left." Her eyes shifted to look out the window. "I wish Howard and Addie could be here right now, to see you again."

"Me too." He tried not to think about it too much. About Addie and Howard, and how different it might have been if they both were alive. It wouldn't have been any easier for him. Not only would he have to face Peggy after all these years, but to do it with them as well would have been excruciating. Perhaps, in some gruesome way, them not being here somehow spared Steve even more grief. Still, it didn't stop him from missing them.

"They would have been so happy to see you again," Peggy said before being overwhelmed by a terrible cough. Jacqueline moved from the bed to the nightstand and poured a glass of water. "Here, Peggy." She handed the glass over to her, staying close as she took careful sips.

When she finished, she handed the glass back to her. "Thank you, Jackie," she breathed out. Then, she settled back against the pillows, exhaling a deep sigh. She focused on the two people before her. Steve sitting in the chair next to her bed, while Jacqueline stood behind him, the glass still in her hand. Seeing the two of them standing next to each other made her feel something she couldn't quite explain. "How are you holding up?" She asked Steve, her hand finding his quickly.

"It's still a little strange," Steve responded, solemnly. "Every day I wake up and it feels like I'm in a dream, and it takes me a moment to remember what happened and where I am."

Peggy listened intently, her heart ached at not being able to help. To not be there with him every day. "Well, you have me. And you have Jackie as well. You're not alone, Steve."

Both Jacqueline and Steve tensed at Peggy's words. However, when Steve turned to look back at her, they both visibly softened. Jacqueline smiled, clutching the glass close to her chest. "He already knows that he can come to me for anything."

It was something he had known for a while. They both had the text messages and phone calls to prove it. However, hearing her say it always made him feel more at ease. It was comforting knowing that she was on the other end of the phone and would never turn him away if he needed to talk. She's put up with quite a bit with him, yet she never complained. In her defense, there was nothing to complain about.

"I'm glad. Jackie, dear, could you please bring over my photo album?" Peggy pointed at the large, leather-bound album that was sitting on a shelf. "You've missed so much," he said to Steve. "So much that you need to catch up on."

Jacqueline brought over the album and, at Peggy's request, handed it to Steve. He placed the album in his lap and, after glancing at Peggy, began to skim through the pages. The first few pages were filled with photos from Peggy's childhood, he lingered on them for a few minutes, then continued on. There were photos taken well after the war-after he had crashed into the Arctic. He felt his throat ache. One photo that he remained on for a while was of Peggy and Addie, the latter was wearing a very distinct white dress.

He studied the photo thoroughly for a few moments. "Was this taken at Addie's wedding?" He asked, pointing to the photo in question.

Peggy merely smiled, and let out a small chuckle. "Yes, it was a rather eventful day. My memory is a little hazy but I can remember a good portion of it."

So, she did end up getting married. Steve nodded. "When did she get married?"

"November of 1946."

"It was to Joe, right?"

Peggy hummed in response.

Steve nodded quietly, his eyes returning to the photo. "I'm glad, I remember she told me that they had planned on getting married after the war. And she was able to." The last few words were nothing more than a whisper. He wished he could have been there. She wanted him to be. Steve quickly cleared his throat before asking, "she worked with you at SHIELD?"

"Oh, yes, she worked with me on quite a few missions, however, once she had her daughter Kathleen, she cut back on the missions and vouched to be an advisor."

"Kathleen," Steve tested the name before turning to Jacqueline. "That's your mother, right?"

Jacqueline nodded. "Yeah. My mom was the oldest, she had a younger sister named Evelyn."

At this, Steve's brow furrowed. He remembered seeing in Addie's file that she had two kids, but Jacqueline had never talked about her. Not once. She noticed the look on Steve's face, knowing exactly what he was thinking. She only answered him with a single nod. I'll explain later.

Steve was content with the answer. He turned his attention back on the album, proceeding to skim through the pages. With each page turn, he noticed the progression of Peggy's age in the photos. Some were of her and her husband, then some with her children. He didn't know how to feel about that. Obviously, he was happy that she got to move on and live a happy life, but it's also what he wanted. Perhaps, if he hadn't crashed, he and Peggy would have gotten married and had a family of their own. And everything would be so different. He could start to feel himself growing bitter. Not towards Peggy, but towards the fate that was dealt him. The crash should have just killed him. It would be a lot less painful than living with all of this.

Steve paused on one photo in particular. It was of a young boy, probably no older than fifteen, and he was holding a baby. But the face-the kid looked very familiar. "Is that...Tony?"

Peggy didn't even have to look at the photo. "Yes, and that's Jackie." She pointed at the infant in his arms.

This caught her attention. Jacqueline stepped closer to look at the picture. "Oh my god," she huffed out a laugh. "I completely forgot that you had this photo."

"She was only three weeks old," Peggy added.

Jacqueline laughed at the look on Tony's face. "He looks so uncomfortable."

"Oh, he was." Peggy chuckled at the memory. "He was afraid of dropping you but your mother insisted that he would be fine."

Steve found it rather odd looking at this photo. He had only known Tony as he was now. To see this, it almost changed his perspective of Tony. He had always known, from what Jacqueline had told him, that she and Tony were very close. That she had known him her entire life. However, looking at this photo, he was struck by the reality of it all. He and Tony didn't get off on the right foot, their similar attributes made it easy for them to butt heads. But this was different. Even though it was just a photo, it showed Tony in an element Steve hadn't seen before.

"Are you alright, dear?" Peggy's voice garnered Steve's attention. He hadn't realized how quiet he had gotten, to the point that Peggy and Jacqueline had grown a little concerned by it.

"Yeah," he nodded his head and continued to stare at the photo. "Sorry, it's just… I'm realizing how much I missed out on. I can't help but think how things might have been different if I got to go home."

Jacqueline went to say something but stopped when she saw Peggy reach for Steve's hand. "I know," she smiled sadly. "It's not fair that you didn't get to live your life. I know that it's painful for you, and while it won't be the same, this is your chance to take it all back. To live your life the way that you want to. To make your own family, to create memories." She gave his hand a few gentle squeezes, her smile never faded. "I've lived a long life, now I want you to do the same, whatever that may be for you, I just want you to be happy, Steve. I want you to promise me that you'll do just that."

"I promise." At least, he promised he would do his best to fulfill her wishes. It wasn't going to be easy, and there was a lot more road to venture down. But for the first time since waking up, Steve felt a small glimmer of hope that it would all turn around in the end. That he will find his place in this new life, not just with his job, but with himself as well. That he would be able to carve a new life, one that would be worth living.

For the next few hours, the three of them chatted amongst themselves. Peggy told so many stories and a few were about Jacqueline's childhood, much to the latter's embarrassment. She talked about how Jacqueline started up piano lessons when she was five and Tony always helped her with practice. "He never got good at it," Jacqueline commented. "But he would always sit with me and take me through my practice lessons." She told Steve about her first recital, how her parents were unable to attend because of work, so Peggy and Tony stepped in for them. There was a hint of sadness in her voice when she recalled the memory, and Steve could feel his stomach lurch at the look on her face. It was a fact from her early childhood that still held some weight. Her parents were constantly absent, away on missions which kept them busy for weeks on end-sometimes even months. And her first recital just happened to coincide with both her parents being gone. She was severely disappointed but having Tony and Peggy here made it a memorable night. Especially when Tony visited her backstage before her performance to wish her luck.

That recital had taken place a few months before Howard and Maria's death. A silence fell over the group when it was brought up. Neither of them ventured further on the subject.

When Peggy's nurse entered the room, all three knew that their session was over. Steve didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay with Peggy for the rest of the day and listen to her tell him about her life. He just wanted to be near her, a part of him feared that if he left he wouldn't see her again. The nurse assured him that he was welcome to visit her any time, which made his reluctance wane slightly. Regardless, the nurse had a job to do and Peggy needed to rest. Steve said his goodbyes to Peggy, almost dragging his feet as he left the room.

Jacqueline leaned down to give Peggy a hug and when she pulled away, Peggy rested her hand against Jacqueline's cheek, "Thank you for bringing him to me."

"You don't need to thank me." Jacqueline planted a quick kiss to Peggy's forehead. "We'll come visit you again soon."

Before she could pull away, Peggy took hold of Jacqueline's hand, her eyes focused on hers. "Help him, Jackie. Don't let him go through all of this on his own."

Jacqueline smiled, "Don't worry, I'll do whatever I can to help him. I promise." She assured her, again. It made her think about the conversation she had with Peggy shortly after Steve woke up. Stay close to him. I trust you, help him, make sure that he's alright. Don't let him go through all of this on his own. Promise? She kept her promise and she will continue to do so.

After saying goodbye to the nurse and to Peggy, Steve and Jacqueline exited the building. The entire time Steve remained quiet. When they got to the car, she debated about say something, anything that would break this silence. As she started the car, Jacqueline a glance over at him and he was definitely lost in his own train of thought. Another minute passed before she decided against it. The drive started out quiet. Jacqueline ended up turning on the radio but kept the volume low, it was just enough to fill the silence.

It wasn't until they were about fifteen minutes in the drive did Steve finally say something. "Is it okay if I ask you something?"

She raised her eyebrows, then nodded. "Of course." She was rather relieved to actually have a conversation with him now.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Steve saw her nod in compliance, then continued. "How exactly did your grandmother die?"

Her hands tightened around the steering wheel as she blew out a breath. "Right." She had never gone into detail over what happened to her grandmother. She figured, at some point in time, she would divulge the details to Steve. However, she had been avoiding it for months now. It was inevitable. "It was a… a car accident." She could practically hear her mother's voice in her head, retelling what happened. "It was April 1985, my mom was pregnant with me, and my father was out on a mission, he had been gone for quite some time. My mother was living in New York, while my grandparents and my aunt were living here in D.C., and my mom didn't want to be alone so she called her sister to tell her that she would be driving down there to stay with them. But my aunt told her to stay there and that she and my grandmother would drive up to see her. And, um…" she licked at her lips at the sinking feeling in her stomach. She could picture the look on her mother's face when recounting this story to her. "The weather got bad. My aunt was driving and she… lost control of the car. They crashed into the highway barrier."

A chill went down Steve's spine, his mind trying to process it all. It was a car crash? He shook his head at the randomness of it all. And he couldn't help but think, how scared they both were? Probably terrified. Did they feel any pain? God, he hoped not. It was actually really grim to be thinking about it like that. However, that's what a lot of people tend to do after hearing someone they cared about had died. They would rather it have been a painless death, it makes the death a little easier to swallow.

"They both were taken to a nearby hospital." Jacqueline continued, taking Steve's silence as her sign to keep talking. "My grandmother died not that long after arriving, but my aunt," she huffed out a breath, then pressed her lips together. A part of her was glad that she didn't have to witness this loss. "She fought as hard as she could. She gave it her all… but it wasn't enough."

He looked out the window, feeling as if the breath had been knocked out of him. He had barely allowed himself to mourn Addie, not knowing what had happened to her prevented him from doing so. He wanted to know but wasn't sure how to bring it up to Jacqueline, the last thing he wanted was to seem insensitive to the subject. Now, he almost regretted asking. To have Jacqueline divulge the painful details was heart-wrenching for him, yet he was somewhat grateful to be hearing it from her. He couldn't imagine looking her mother in the eye and listening to her recount what it was like to lose her mother and sister. In the end, he didn't know what to say. Instead, he said the first words that came to mind, "I'm sorry."

Jacqueline's lips stretched into a thin smile, "It's okay, it wasn't your fault." She sucked in a breath, taking a moment to glance at a building as they drove by. "But my mom, she felt responsible. I mean, I understand why. She thought that if she hadn't called them that night they would still be here."

Steve finally allowed himself to look over at her, feeling the lump in his throat constrict. "It wasn't your mom's fault, she had no idea what would happen."

"Yeah, I know, it took a lot of convincing. Peggy, my dad, and my grandfather, they all just kept telling her that it wasn't her fault, that she couldn't have known what would happen. And I know that she eventually realized it, but even to this day, I can look at her and I know that deep down she still feels responsible." Kathleen was an incredibly resilient woman, who was very content with putting on a smile for everyone. Yet, she wasn't someone who wallowed in her own grief. It was on those rare occasions when her guard was completely down, was Jacqueline able to peer behind the veil. To see the heavy pain in her mother's eyes, to see that the guilt was still there. It was very particular on the anniversary of both the accidents and their deaths. And Jacqueline never knew how to help her mother, all she could do was just hold her close and be there for her. "I can't imagine going through all of that, especially when she was pregnant." It was a sickening feeling that settled in her stomach. The amount of stress she had to have been under was unimaginable. "But, she had Peggy, my dad, and my grandfather to help her."

"She had you too."

She went quiet for a moment, having completely forgotten about herself in this story. "Yeah." Kathleen had always professed to Jacqueline that having her was the best thing to ever happen. ( _"The moment I heard your cries, and the doctor placed you in my arms I knew everything was going to be okay."_ ) For Kathleen, to have something that brought her purpose and hope, it was exactly what she needed after what she went through. Still, there was always a constant painful emptiness that sat at the bottom of her stomach. The reality that her daughter was never going to know who her grandmother and aunt were was an obstacle she still faces to this day. Even though they both felt that regret, Kathleen and Jacqueline have managed to live with it.

She blew out a breath. She didn't think talking about this would make her feel so exhausted. "Listen, I'm sorry that I never mentioned my aunt. It's just the whole thing with her and my grandmother has always been a real touchy subject. And I guess I'm just so used to not bringing them up, I didn't think to do the opposite with you."

"No, hey you don't have to apologize. I mean, it's really none of my business. It's okay." He didn't want her to apologize to him. If anything, he should be the one to do it. "I'm sorry for bringing it up so soon."

"No," she shook her head and gave a small shrug. "My grandmother was your friend, you had every right to know what happened to her."

Steve nodded. He settled against his seat and exhaled, suddenly feeling tired. This whole day has been all over the place for him, emotionally. "Hey, thank you."

She eyed him for a moment, "for what?"

"For coming with me to see Peggy."

 _Oh_ , Jacqueline smiled, "You're welcome, but I'm sure you would've been fine without me."

"No, I-having you there with me made it a lot easier," he turned his head to the side to look at her. "So, again, thank you for being there with me."

Jacqueline felt her heart swirl at hearing his words. She looked over at him and bit back a chuckle by how tired he looked, and her smile grew. "Any time."

* * *

 **A/N:** This was one of my favorite chapters to write and I hope you all enjoyed it as well! From what I have planned there is one more chapter of buildup, a.k.a. where Steve spends Thanksgiving with Jackie and her family, and then we'll be getting into the Zodiac which is a mission that happened in the comics. I thought about just skipping right to the events of TWS after the next chapter, but I wanted to have a little more buildup between Jackie and Steve before we reach the movie.

As always, a review would be very much appreciated! Until next time!


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